Find your nemo
by You'reMyRightArm2
Summary: Carla and Peter are both searching for their Nemo. Will they realise that maybe he/she was a little closer to home than they'd expected?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all.. this is a fic I started on my old account that I've lost access to. I'm going to attempt to copy and paste all chapters and then continue with it as I enjoy writing this one. It isn't related to any of the current going one in the street obviously as I wrote it back in 2013. I loved the will they/won't they thing Carla and Peter had for so long though which is what this fic is inspired by. I'm also so glad it's 2018 and we're getting more Carla and Peter's scenes!**

 **Peter and Leanne were together as a couple, but they weren't married or engaged. Leanne has just finished with him, to be with Nick and he and Carla have only ever briefly spoke to eachother through Leanne.**

'Hello, Peter?' Carla called out apon entering his flat, Closing the door behind her when she got no response and placing Leanne's keys on the table.

'What are you doing here?' Peter said, His curiosity sounding more rude than intended.

Carla raised her hand to her heart as she whipped round to see Peter standing in the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, 'God, you scared me! Why didn't you answer me when I called out?'

'More to the point, Why did you just walk into me flat in the first place?'

'Uh, Sorry. I erm...came to collect some of Leanne's bits, I did buzz a few times, but I guessed you wasn't in..' Carla replied awkwardly.

Peter walked over to the sofa, throwing himself down onto it 'Wow, Is this really what it's come to, She can't even bare to face me anymore?'

'Oh Peter it aint like that,' Carla said, placing her bag on the table and joining Peter on the sofa, 'She just... Feels bad'.

'So she should. I should've known I never stood a chance against her 'childhood sweetheart'' Peter repiled, dissapointment evident in his voice.

'I wouldn't take it personal Peter. Ya know, it was just her and Nick go way back, That's all, she still loves ya..' Carla said as Peter interupted.

'She's just not _In_ love with me'.

'Yeah...' Carla replied, not know what else to say. 'Listen, I'm really sorry. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can' Carla said, giving Peter's leg a gentle squeeze, before heading off to collect some of Leanne's bits.

* * *

'Right, I'll be off then. I've grabbed what I can, taking into respect that I only 'ave two hands..' Carla laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little bit.

'Erm Carla, You wouldn't be able to stay for a bit would ya? I mean, If that's okay. Just being alone, Ya know, The booze becomes way too tempting. And as much as I'd love to 'ave a drink right now, I refuse to destroy Simon's life even more than it already has been' Peter asked gently.

'Hey, sure,' Carla said, putting down the bag of Leanne's things and joining him on the sofa again, 'But on one condition..' Carla continued as Peter waited for her to carry on. 'You turn that frown, upside down. Okay?' Carla instructed, pushing Peter's cheeks up so a smile was on his face.

Peter let out a small chuckle, 'Okay..Thanks'.

'And hey, There's plenty more fish in't see, You've just gotta find your Nemo' Carla smiled.

'My Nemo?' Peter questioned, letting out anouther chuckle.

'Or it could be your Doreen if ya wanted, But that'd mean she'd be a basket case. I suppose there's always Mad Mary though, If she's your type..'

'And how do you know all about 'Finding Nemo' then? I mean, At least I have Si as an excuse, What's yours?' Peter laughed.

'I'm a 37 year old woman, who lives on me own. That's my excuse' Carla laughed, getting up and walking to the kitchen.

'What're ya doing?' Peter asked, His gaze following her.

'I, Am making you one of me speciality hot chocolates, so your cupboards best be in full supply,' Peter smiled, his drink cravings had now completely gone, 'And then, We're genna get a blanket on the sofa, drink 'em and watch a movie. Now that's how you recover from a break-up in true style'. Carla said as she prepared the hot drinks and Peter smiled, going to get a blanket and bringing in the box of DVD's.

* * *

Carla bought the drinks over, Passing Peter his and sitting on the opposite end of the sofa to him. 'What d'ya want to watch then?' Peter questioned, nodding his head towards the box of DVD's.

Carla began to rummage through them, 'This, Is fate' Carla said, holding up the 'Finding Nemo' DVD, with a smug look on her face.

'And this, Is one special hot chocolate. Beats a whiskey anyday..' Peter replied, sipping at his drink, and getting up to put the DVD on.

Half way through the DVD and Carla let out anouther laugh at the film. Peter looked towards her, letting out a laugh himself. Here he was, sat with the woman known for her 'Ice Queen Exterior', and there she was, sat laughing at 'Finding Nemo'.

Carla could suddenly feel Peter looking at her, 'You're meant to be watching the film ya'know, not me' She smirked.

'Sorry, It's just, I never imagined you to be like this..'

'Like what?' Carla laughed.

'I don't know.. Just, So nice, I guess?' Peter smiled.

Carla laughed, 'Well I don't know whether to take that as a compliment, or an insult..'

'A compliment. You've really cheered me up Carla, Thankyou'.

'Oh, It's not really me, It's Nemo' Carla winked.

* * *

'Right then, I best get going' Carla said as the film credits rolled.

'Yeah, I best pick Si up anyway. Thanks again Carla, You and Nemo both cheered me up' Peter smirked, reffering back to Carla's comment earlier.

'Well, I got something out of it too, ya'know. Nothing beats a free viewing of Finding Nemo, with a free hot chocolate thrown into the mix aswell' Carla laughed.

'You'll have to raid Simon's DVD's box again soon..'

'Oh, Deffinitely,' Carla smiled, reaching for her bag. 'Here' She said, handing him a piece of paper with her number scribbled down. 'Call me when I can come for me next viewing' She winked.

Peter took it from her hands 'Cheers, I'll bear that in mind' He smiled.

'But seriously though, You call me whenever you need a chat or one of me special, alcohol repelling hot choccies. Yeah, We got a Deal?...Or No Deal?'

'Deal' Peter chuckled, Before Carla gave him a kiss on the cheek and they said their goodbyes.

'Oh and Peter?' Carla put her head back round into the flat.

'Yeah?' he replied.

'Your Nemo is out there, You've just gotta keep fishing' She winked, before closing the door and making her way downstairs.

Peter laughed, putting Carla's number in his pocket and smiling at the Finding Nemo menu on the TV. Peter could sense a new friendship on the cards, With the one person he'd least expected it to be with..


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ciaran and Michelle aren't together by the way.**

Carla and Michelle walked into the rovers, their laughs immediately catching Ciaran and Peter's attention.

'Hey buddy, you don't mind if I ask them two to join us do ya? Maybe big me up a little bit to 'Chelle whilst we're at it n'all?' Ciaran asked, giving Peter a nudge.

'Well, I'll do me best mate, but them two, they're a hard duo to impress ya'know' Peter replied, Taking a sip of his orange juice.

'Cheers big guy, I owe ya one' Ciaran said, getting up from the table and approaching Carla and Michelle.

'How d'you two beautiful ladies fancy joining us two lovesick puppies for a drink on this fine day then?' Ciaran proposed, As Michelle and Carla rolled their eyes and grabbed their drinks, walking over to the table.

'Hola' Carla chirped, taking a seat in the booth next to Michelle and opposite Peter.

'Since when did you start talking Spanish?' Peter chuckled, furrowing his brow.

'Since never, that was French m'love' Carla stated, As the other three just laughed. 'What?'

'That's Spanish Car' Michelle laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

'Oh god. No wonder that French client kept giving me strange looks, I were busting out Spanish words every now 'n then, thinking I were dead clever' Carla said, biting down on her lip, remembering back to her meeting an hour ago.

'Why would you do that anyway, She probably thought you were a right weirdo' Michelle giggled.

'Well I were trying to impress her weren't I? How am I supposed to know the difference between the two, All I know is that t'Spanish ones are the better looking bunch' Carla explained, biting her nails in embarressment.

'Woman aye?' Ciaran laughed.

'No mate, Carla' Peter stated, Getting a mock annoyed look from Carla.

'Oh come on, you're saying that you men don't think Spanish woman are better looking than most of us lot?' Michelle questioned.

'Not better looking that you two, that's for sure' Ciaran winked as Peter rolled his eyes, taking anouther sip of his drink.

Before anyone got a chance to respond, Michelle's phone started to ring in her bag. 'Oh great, It's me mum. I best answer it or she'll end up thinking something terrible has happened to me, Be right back' Michelle sighed, getting up and walking out the back of the Rovers.

'Hey Car, What'dya reckon me chances are with your Chelle' then?' Ciaran grinned.

'Ohh, I don't know. She's a tough one to impress ya'know' Carla stated.

'Surely she can't resist this Irish charm though' Ciaran winked.

'Oh yeah, Just what she wants; To be reminded of her over wonderful mother 24/7' Carla chuckled sarcastically.

'Well I think I'd get on alot better without you two round ya'know, Let my charms work their magic properly' Ciaran pushed.

'Oh yeah, I can see you're just full of the charm towards the ladies, sending them away and all that' Carla stated sarcastically again as her and Peter both chuckled.

'Come on then señorita, looks like that's our cue to leave' Peter said to Carla, knocking back the remains of his drink and getting up with Carla.

'Wait, where am I supposed to say you two went too?' Ciaran questioned desperately.

'Oh, I'm sure you're 'Irish Magic' will think of something' Carla smirked, walking out of the Rovers with Peter in towe.

* * *

'Well then, I best be getting home' Carla said, as her and Peter crossed the street.

'Or you could come back to mine for a coffee, If you wanted?' Peter questioned with a small grin on his face.

'Yeah, Okay, that'd be nice ta.'

'Great, Well I've just got to collect Si from me Dad's and then I'll be over. Here, Let yourself in' Peter said, Pulling out his keys and handing them to Carla.

'Oh, Okay' Carla smiled, taking the keys and making her way over to his flat.

* * *

'So you had a good time then?' Peter asked Simon as they entered the flat to see Carla sitting on the sofa.

'Yeah, It were okay' Simon said, taking his coat.

'Good. This is Carla mate, you know her don't ya?' Peter smiled, pointing towards Carla.

'Yeah, She were Leanne's best friend' Simon stated as Peter nodded slightly, feeling uncomfortable at the mention of her name.

'Yeah, That's right. Do you wanna go play in your room for a bit son?' Peter asked, it being more of an instruction than a question though.

'Okay' Simon replied, skipping off.

'Sorry, I took the liberty of making the Coffee's' Carla smiled, nodding her head towards Peter's cup.

'Well if it's as good as your hot choccie, then I'm not complaining' Peter laughed, sitting down on the chair.

'So, how are you coping?' Carla questioned gently, not sure whether Peter would want to open up to her or not.

'Alot better, Ya'know, Like you said 'Plenty more fish in't sea, I've just got to find my Nemo'' Peter smiled, Quoting what Carla had said to him the other day.

'And she is out there, you just keep on fishing 'till you find her' Carla smirked. 'How's Simon coping with it all?' she asked, Just as Simon walked out his room with his hands behind his back.

'I got you something' Simon said, walking up to where Carla was sat.

'Ohh, What is it?' Carla grinned.

'Close your eyes' Simon instructed as Carla did so and Peter watched on curiously. 'Here you go' Simon said, placing a necklace in Carla's hand as she opened her eyes, Both hers and Peter's smile fading.

'Si.. That's Leanne's mate' Peter sighed.

'No, I want Carla to have it. It _used_ to be Leanne's but I don't like her no more and..and..She left us, so now Carla should have it' Simon said, more angry than upset.

Carla could see that this was heart breaking for Peter to witness. 'Come here' Carla said, patting the space next to her for Simon to sit down, 'It's really lovely of you Simon but You're dad's right, this is Leanne's and we've got to give it back to her..hmm?'

'But...She don't deserve it after she hurt my dad, I hate her.' Simon said, crossing his arms.

'Oh, Sweetie. Come 'ere' Carla pulled him in for a hug. 'How about we do something to cheer you up, aye?' Carla asked gently as Peter smiled at the scene before him, Carla Connor was the complete opposite to what people made her out to be.

'What, anything?' Simon said quietly, thinking of what they could do.

'Mhhhm' Carla nodded.

'Ohh, You might regret that one' Peter laughed.

'Can we play a game?' Simon grinned, confidence suddenly washing over him.

'Course, why don't you go and pick one, which ever one you like' Carla smiled 'But will you do me a favour too and put that back where you got it from for me, yeah?' Carla questioned, placing the necklace in his hands.

'Okay' Simon nodded his head, dissappearing into the bedroom.

'I don't know how you do it, I really don't' Peter laughed, shaking his head in bewilderment.

'Well, they don't call me the fairy godmother for nowt' Carla smirked, as Peter chuckled.

'Twister!' Simon beamed, running in with the box in his hands.

'Oh..Right' Carla said, trying to sound enthusiastic but she realised this could be an awkward game to play.

'Told you you'd regret it' Peter said smugly.

'No.. actually, I'm a master at Twister, And You're going down' Carla stated in a matter-of-a-fact tone, going to help Simon set it up.

* * *

Half way through the game and Peter and Carla still held their positions awkwardly on the mat, their limbs intertwining.

'Left hand, blue Dad' Simon shouted out to Peter, Having been first out of the game.

'Oh great..' Peter sighed, trying to stretch his left hand over Carla's back. 'Almost there..' Peter panted, his hand hovering close to the blue circle, Whilst Carla was stuggling to hold her composure underneath him. All of a sudden his foot slipped across the mat, causing both his and Carla's bodies to collapse down, both of them stumbling sideways in fits of laughter.

'And the Master wins again' Carla said inbetween laughs, finally sitting up and pretending to dust her hands down.

'Only because you cheated..' Peter claimed, gently pushing Carla's arm so she fell to the side.

'Oh and how did I do that then?'

'You pushed my leg with your foot, Didn't she Si?' Peter asked, pretending to act serious.

'Nu-uh, I saw your foot slip!' Simon stated smugly and Carla through her head back chuckling.

'He just can't face it that he's short Si' Carla laughed.

'Says the woman with 5 inch heels' Peter retaliated back.

'Yeah, but I wasn't wearing them in the game though, was I? Carla replied proudly. 'Someone's just a sore loser..'

'Okay, okay...Fine' Peter said, holding his hands up. 'Seemings as I lost, why don't I order us all a takeaway?' Peter asked, looking towards Carla.

'Yaaay!' Simon clapped his hands together.

'Carla? Deal..Or no Deal?' Peter smiled, reffering back to their conversation the other day.

Carla glanced at Simon, before looking back to Peter. 'Deal' She stated. 'Come to think of it, you're just as short as Noel Edmonds, aint ya?' Carla teased, Before Peter picked up a cushion, throwing it at her.

* * *

'Simon's in the bath and the food's on it's way' Peter said, sitting down on the floor with his back against the Sofa.

'You alright?' Carla asked, noticing that Peter was rubbing his neck.

'Yeah, Just hurt me neck a bit that's all' Peter winced.

'Right then' Carla said, shuffling over on the sofa so she was behind Peter. 'I've got a magic touch me, you're lucky'.

'Carla, you don't have to , honestly It'll be okay in a minute' Peter laughed, realising Carla was going to try and massage him.

'Nonsense, You just think I'm genna make it worse, don't you?'

'If I'm being honest?..Yeah' he chuckled.

'Well, I will now' Carla remarked playfully. 'No, Seriously now. 'Cause we are capable of seriousness, even if we do watch Finding Nemo and play twister,' Carla laughed, 'This will relax you a bit..' She said, Rubbing Peter's shoulders with her hands and hearing him groan whenever she was getting the spot where the pain was.

'Wow, You're right, we are actually capable of being Serious..' Peter joked as Carla continued to massage him.

'See.. Is there actually anything that I'm not good at?' Carla laughed.

'Well, you're certaintly good at bigging yourself up' Peter said playfully, 'But I have to admit, this does feel heavenly' he continued, closing his eyes and tilting his head back a little, so It was resting on Carla's crossed legs.

'Wow, You Mr. Barlow, are getting old. You're almost falling asleep 'ere' Carla chuckled.

'Aye, I am not!' Peter retaliated.

'Daaad?' Simon called from the bathroom.

'Ohh the master calls' Peter laughed, releasing himself from Carla's grip. 'Thankyou, that was amazing' Peter said, kissing the top of Carla's hair before leaving to attend to Simon.

* * *

'You Miss, have been my life saver tonight' Peter said, giving Carla a thankful smile.

'Well, I 'ad fun, beats sitting at home by meself anyday' Carla laughed as they approached the door to Peter's flat. 'Oh and Just so you know, I also took the liberty of typing my number into your phone for ya, seemings I got no call back last time'.

'I didn't want to be a bother..' Peter sighed. 'So, It's okay for me to call you then?'

'No, I just put my number in your phone for the sake of it..Course it is. 'Cause If you don't then I'll be hunting you down wondering why' Carla winked.

'You'll get a call back this time, I promise. You're me fairy godmother afterall, I've got no choice in the matter' Peter teased.

'Exactly' Carla smiled proudly.

'And Is It okay to hug you too?' Peter questioned, rather shyly.

Carla grinned 'I'm afraid you've got no choice in the matter here, either' she winked, pulling him in for a hug.

'Night Mrs. Connor' Peter whispered into her ear.

'Goodnight Mr. Barlow ' Carla whispered back, Giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving and making her way home.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter stood, chewing on the end of his pen, watching the race take place on the screen before him.

'You alright Noel?' Carla goaded playfully as she entered the bookies.

'Aye, that's enough of that' Peter said, waving his pen at Carla as she smiled.

'I've just been talking to a very dissapointed, love struck young man..'

'Let me guess..Ciaran?'

'Yep. Looks like our dissapearing act didn't do him any favours anyway..'

'I told him she were a tough one to please' Peter said, cocking his head to the side.

'Well.. How do you fancy playing cupid with me?' Carla beamed.

'Erm..Not very much.' Peter replied, the idea not interesting him at all.

'Oh come on Peter, pleeeeease. I'm fed up of having to sit in the office with old misery guts and I'm pretty sure you're fed up of listening to him bang on about how much he likes her?'

'Yes okay, point taken. Well, suppose I did want to 'Play Cupid' with you, what would we do to make 'Chelle realise that she actually _wants_ to be with him?'

'Okay well, hows about we leave them alone with a romantic dinner.. We could have rose petals..Candles..Slow music, the full works' Carla smiled, feeling quite proud of her idea, even if it was simple.

'And you're sure she'd like that?'

'She is me sister-in-law! Besides, cook that girl a good meal and she's anyones'

'Oh, I can see your relationship is just blooming' Peter laughed 'Okay then, I'll play cupid with you' He said, rolling his eyes, he didn't particularly want to do it, but if it'd shut Ciaran up then it was worth a try. 'Where will this meal be held anyway?'

'Ahh, that's the thing. I was hoping maybe we could do it at your place' Carla gave a little grin, waiting for him to give a reply.

'My place? Why can't we do it at yours?'

'Because me heatings packed in. Oh come on Peter, how can you step in't way of true love?'

'Fine! You can cook..yeah?' Peter asked as Carla's face dropped slightly.

'Erm, Do I look like a woman who goes home every night and puts on her apron?'

'Well I'm not that good at cooking either ya'know?'

'Oh Peter, I'm not asking you to be Gorden flamin' Ramsay, You just need to know how to work an oven'.

'Alright, Alright, Someone's a stressy little cupid in't they' Peter teased, grabbing Carla's cheeks and squeazing them. 'Ow!' Peter laughed, pulling his hand back and looking at the bite marks Carla had left on his arm as she smiled proudly.

'I'll meet you here at 7 okay? I'll bring the supplies and you can get the food seemings you'll be cooking it'.

'Yes Ma'am' Peter joked, giving her a salute.

* * *

'Finally, What took you so long?' Peter laughed seeing Carla struggling with the box she had in her hands, 'Ere, let me take that' He instructed, grabbing hold of the box.

'Well I 'ad to shake her off first didn't I? You think I'm determined? You want to see her, she's like a claustrophobic locked in a cupboard. Insisted that I go for a drink with her, I 'ad to tell her I was going to come and help you out with Si and his homework'.

'And she actually...Belived you?' Peter laughed in dis-belief.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Sorry just..'

'No actually, you're right. I don't think she believed a word of it, but oh well, It got rid of 'er.'Carla smiled smugly before prancing into Peter's flat.

'Oh that's it, give me a hand why don't ya' Peter called after her sarcastically.

'So then Gordon, what ya cooking up?'

'I've got alot of personalities ain't I, first I'm Noel, then I'm cupid, now I'm Gordon, who next?' Peter laughed.

'Okay then _Peter_ what're you cooking?' Carla smiled, leaning over and trying to peek into the Fresco's bags.

'Well, I could either do citrus-seared tuna with crispy noodles, herbs and chilli _or_ I could opt for the simple, yet lovable roast chicken dinner?' Peter suggested as Carla raised her eyebrows.

'Ohhh, I am impressed, and you say you can't cook. I can see the inner Gordon just waiting to burst out! I'd definitely go with the first one though, it's more apt with it being a fish n'all, ya'know Nemo' Carla winked. 'Besides, a roast'd take forever to cook'

'Good thinking, what supplies did you bring then?'

'Well, I've got some Lana Del Rey music, 'cause she's mine and 'chelles favourite' Carla explained as Peter nodded along, 'and I've got some lovely red rose petals with tea light candles and some red netting for't table and stuff, Ohh and I got these 'cause I thought they were dead cute like' Carla said holding up the love heart shaped wine glasses as Peter smiled along. 'And I got them a box of chocolates to share for after, So all'n'all, I think we've done a good job cupid' Carla said, holding her hand up and giving Peter a High-5.

* * *

'Right, The Dinner's in the oven..' Peter said, leaving the kitchen.

'And the sofa area and the table's set, I've set the bottle of red on the table, you're alright with that yeah?'

'Carla, I'm not going to be here, besides I can cope with seeing bottles ya'know, I do go to the pub everyday'

'..Course, sorry. Here help me throw these about the place will ya?' Carla directed, handing Peter a bag of rose petals.

'Right, then we'll dim the lights down, light the candles and we're set to trap 'em' Peter said whilst scattering the Petals around.

'Alright Peter, steady on,' Carla laughed, taking the bag of Petals from Peter's hands, 'we don't want it looking like they've just stepped into The Secret Garden'

Peter chuckled, handing Carla a lighter as they began to light all the candles up. 'Right, and we are..' Carla began, turning out the lights, 'Done' she stated proudly.

'Well Cupid, I am impressed' Peter said, putting his arm round Carla's shoulders and looking round the room at their creation.

'Right well, I'll send a text to them both, then our work here is finito!' Carla smiled, taking her phone out.

* * *

'Hello? Let us up Carla' Michelle said through the buzzer as Carla let them both up. 'Erm, what the hecks this?' She questioned, taken a back by the room full of rose petals and candles.

'Something is smelling fantastic' Ciaran beamed, knowing exactly what Carla and Peter had done.

'Courtesy of Gordon here' Carla laughed, nudging Peter with her arm.

'Right you've got citrus-seared tuna with crispy noodles, herbs and chilli cooked up in the oven, so help yourself to that when you want it'. Peter smiled, as him and Carla both began to put their jackets on.

'Woah, where are you two going?' Michelle laughed grabbing hold of Carla.

'Suprise' Carla grinned, putting her hands in the air before darting out of the door.

'Carla? Carla! Urgh, I knew she was up to something, since when did she do 'homework'' Michelle rolled her eyes.

Ciaran grabbed Peter before he walked out of the door and spoke into his ear 'Cheers bud' You sure you don't want to join us, Double date like?' Ciaran winked.

'I think I'll skip mate, there's only enough for two, make the most of it' Peter chuckled, patting him on the back before leaving the flat.

'When I get me hands on her, she's dead'. Michelle said, opening the bottle of wine.

'Awr, come on. Look at all the effort they've gone to, Let's not let it go to waste aye?' Ciaran smiled as Michelle gave a small chuckle.

'Suppose not'.

* * *

'Right then, now what do we do?' Carla laughed.

'Well, That fish and chippie is calling our names.' Peter joked, nodding his head towards the fish and chip shop.

'Oh, Go on then' Carla smiled, linking Peter's arm as they walked towards it.

'So then, tell me something about yourself.' Peter said as they sat down on the bench outside Audrey's with the bag of chips that they were sharing.

'Like what?' Carla chuckled.

'Anything'

'Erm..Me favourite colour's red?' Carla mustered up, trying to think of something that she could say.

'I could tell that about you.. Mine's blue'

'What do you mean 'You could tell that about me'?' Carla laughed, shifting on the bench so she was facing Peter more.

'Well you're no where near a predictible person, but I can just tell a few things from your personality, that's all'

'Oh yeah, Like what?' Carla laughed, now curious.

'You're more of a dog person than a cat.' Peter stated as Carla nodded with a smile. 'Your favourite princess is snow white' Peter said as Carla grinned.

'I can even name all 7 dwarfs' Carla stated smugly as Peter laughed.

'You much prefer bad boys than good'

'Oh, You can't have that one! Anyone could tell that just by looking at me history with 'em' Carla chuckled.

'Erm, You prefer winter to summer'

'Oh definitely, I can pull of boots much better than sandals' Carla winked, continuing to eat the chips.

'You prefer Halloween to Christmas, and Bracelets to Necklaces, and you'd rather be beautiful than skinny'.

'Oh Definitely, you can sort your body out easier than you can ya face, somethings are just not reparable' Carla laughed shaking her head, 'Though I suppose eating chips don't help matters'

'Well luckily for you, you got the jackpot. You're both beautiful and skinny' Peter smiled as Carla looked down blushing.

'Shut it Barlow, you did an'all, you're good looking and you're lovely. That's a rare thing to find in a guy ya'know.'

'Well, I'm flattered.' Peter laughed, 'Come 'ere you look cold' Peter smiled pulling Carla closer to him and putting his arm round her as they looked up at the stars.

'Are you sure you're not Gay?' Carla asked, breaking the silence.

'No!' Peter chuckled.

'Too bad. I've always fancied meself having a Gay bestfriend ya'know'.

'Well unfortunately, I can't do the Gay part, but we could definitely give the bestfriend bit a go'.

'I thought we were already there to be honest' Carla smiled, leaning her head on Peter's shoulder.

'Right then, It's final. _Carla Connor is mybestfriend_ ' Peter smiled at the statement.

'It sounds alot better for me ya'know, being able to tell everyone that Noel Edmonds is mine' Carla said as they both chuckled, still looking up at the stars.


	4. Chapter 4

'No, I'll tell you what you are..' Carla echoed down the phone as she stood outside Roy's Rolls, 'You're a useless bunch of...Idiots' Carla quickly restrained herself as she saw Peter approaching her with Simon, cutting off the phone at the same time.

'Oh dear, It's the return of stressy cupid.' Peter joked as he walked over to where Carla was standing annoyed. 'Come on then Missy, What's up?'

'The sky' Carla replied rather half heartedly, folding her arms as Simon giggled at her stroppy attitude.

'Well, you learn something new everyday..' Peter winked. 'Alright, What's _wrong_ then?'

'Well, I've just had flamin' Bob the builder on't phone, just a much ruder version..'

'Bob the builder's not real silly! Even I know that' Simon stated smugly, shaking his head in amusement.

'Oh, I'm sure your lovely phone manners really must have helped matters n'all' Peter laughed 'So come on then, why were you on't phone to Bob then?'

'Well, you know I said about me heating packing in?..' Carla explained as Peter gave a gentle nod waiting for her to continue 'Well now they've told me they need to fit a new boiler in.. Except Bob here is saying he can't do it until he 'as all the parts for it, which could take forever. So in this case it's 'Can he fix it?..' 'No, he flamin' well can't''

'Aye you, don't take this out on Bob, he's got a little fan over here' Peter winked and pointed to Simon who was busy playing with his football 'Anyway, is there no one else who'd be able to do it?'

'Nope. I've checked all over't place, Everywhere's jam packed with work. So until then, I'm stuck living in an igloo, having ice cold showers. But hey, It's all about the high life for me' Carla joked sarcastically.

'Well is there not someone you can stay with.. what about Michelle? Or has she still not forgiven us for our match making?' Peter winked.

'Nah, she's gone to Ireland to visit her parents. Hayley offered but sitting in with Roy and Hayley, Drinking herbal tea and watching train documentaries, doesn't exactly sound thrilling much does it?' Carla laughed. 'Kieran did put in an offer too but I think I'd rather camp it out as an eskimo than have cheesey chat up lines thrown at me every 2 minutes of the day'

'You get that anyway..' Peter winked. 'But you're more than welcome to stay with us if you'd like..' Peter smiled as Simon beamed, nodding his head at the suggestion.

'Oh Peter.. Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be intruding or owt..'

'Don't be daft! Of course I'm sure. I can't exactly offer you 5 stars however, but we do provide warmth, movies and all the hot chocolates you can handle, Not forgetting Gorden 'ere, thrown into the mix n'all' Peter winked.

'Beats herbal tea anyday. Be warned though, I am hardcore when it comes to the hot chocolate' Carla mused.

'Oh dear Si, a 37 year old woman who lives on her own, just reffered to herself as 'hardcore'' Peter laughed, indirecting his insult.

'Aye you!' Carla laughed along 'But Thankyou anyway, I really am grateful'

'Oh, Just Call me 'Superman''

'Oh dear Si, a man who lives on bacon butties and fags, just reffered to himself as 'Superman'' Carla winked as Simon and Peter laughed. 'I thought you had enough Personalities anyway Peter?' Carla laughed smugly as she strutted off. 'I'll give you a call later to arrange the details Noel..' Carla finished as she turned the corner, Leaving Peter stood there laughing.

'Hey Si, You are okay with Carla staying with us aren't you pal?' Peter asked, ruffling his curly hair.

'Yeah, It'll be great! As much as I love it being just me and you Dad, I don't want you to be lonely..' Simon sighed. 'And I like Carla too, she's funny and she's really nice'

'Aye son, I'm not lonely.. But anyway, I'm glad you like her, I know she's a little fan of yours too. Now come on, I can already taste that breakfast' Peter laughed, nudging Simon into the cafe.


	5. Chapter 5

'Right Madam, That's the last bag done' Peter sighed with relief, approaching Carla's flat door.

'Ya'know, I'm surprised all my things fitted in that thing you seem to call a car' Carla giggled, Picking up the last few bits that she'd need before moving into Peter's.

'Well, What can I say? It wasn't really designed for fitting a whole rooms worth of things in it' Peter laughed, shooting Carla a smug smile.

'Yeah, _It_ wasn't really designed for anything, Was it?' Carla smiled triumphantly, Strutting her way over to Peter and taking one last look at her flat, 'Goodbye nice, stylish, classy flat. I'll miss you' Carla emitted a fake sob before closing the door behind her and locking it.

'Yeah Flat, It's been great knowing you, Don't forget me' Peter mocked sadness, Taking the mickey out of Carla, Before receiving a swat on the arm.

'Come on then, Let's go drive home in your dust bin' Carla said, Linking Peter's arm and walking down the stairs.

'Oh wait Carla, You won't be able to get in' Peter sighed as Carla approached his car.

'Oh haha Peter, Just unlock it'

'No, Seriously, It's the Dustbin Rules' Peter shook his head whilst pretending to read his hand, 'No person may enter the dust bin if they are not wearing their Yellow jacket. No matter how beautiful they are' Rule 16, Page 2 of the Dust bin manual guide'

'So erm, Where's yours then?'

'Well, I'm the boss, Therefore, I don't need one'

'Oh hey look' Carla said, Pointing towards Peter's palm and pretending to read it ''The poor owner of this piece of junk must also wear a jacket at all times' Rule 17, Page 2' Carla laughed as Peter snatched his hand away.

'Nope, I can't see that' Peter said shaking his head.

'Oh darlin', Must be the old age catching up on you, ya'know affecting your sight and all that?' Carla bit down on her lip, Reaching her hand down into Peter's pocket and pulling out his car keys. 'Oh, Look who's the boss now' Carla smiled, waving the Keys in front of Peter's face.

'Oh Darn, Looks like my eyesight's gone bad again, I can still only see one boss around here and it doesn't seem to be you' Peter sighed, Quickly making a grab for the keys.

'Oh, Looks like the eyesight's back again' Carla laughed, trying to pull her arm away from the grip Peter had round her hand, Trying to open up her palm in which the Keys were enclosed in. Carla began to squirm and giggle as Peter's hands slowly crept round her body and began to tickle at her hips. 'Okay Peter stop! You can 'ave 'em' Carla managed to breath out between her laughs. 'Here, 'ave 'em!' Carla laughed, letting go of the grip she had on the keys and trying to catch her breath back.

'Come on then, We've still got the food shopping to do and we've got to collect Si from his mates' Peter laughed, Pulling him self together and Walking round to his side of the Car.

'Well, Why don't you drop me off at Freshco's and I'll get the food in whilst you go collect Simon?' Carla suggested, Lowering herself into the car and fastening her seatbelt.

'Yeah that'd be great, as long as you don't mind. You know what sort of stuff to get Si don't ya'?'

'Kids aren't alien to me Peter. I was one me self once, believe it or not'

'Yeah I know, Sorry'. Peter laughed, Driving away from Carla's apartment block.

'Right okay, So I'll come and pick you up with Si once I've collected him' Peter explained as they reached Freshco's.

'Mhm' Carla replied, opening the car door and stepping out 'Oh and Peter, Make sure he wears his yellow jacket!' Peter laughed as Carla smiled smugly, closing the door and strutting off.

* * *

'They're going to have to go into the back with Simon' Peter laughed, taking some of the bags off of Carla and shoving them in next to Si. 'We hadn't really thought this through, What with my boot becoming your temporary wardrobe'

'I still don't know why on earth we chose to bring your car instead of mine' Carla laughed, shaking her head. 'There you go!' Carla smiled proudly, closing the car door and getting in as Peter started up the engine.

'You alright with all that there Si?' Carla laughed, Watching Simon rifling through the bags to see what Carla had bought.

'Yeah but Carla, I think you made a mistake' Simon said pulling out two empty Pizza bases 'You bought empty pizzas' Simon stated with a hint of sadness to his tone.

'No darlin', they're not empty, I decided we could make our own pizza for tea tonight. How d'ya fancy that?' Carla grinned as Simon's face lit up, 'Cool!' Simon beamed 'Did you buy toppings too?'

'Course! As if I'd forget them!'

'Ohhh, I'd be warned though Si, Carla's might just come out as a giant slab of charcoal'

'Good thing I've got Gordon here to help me then, 'aye?' Carla winked, shaking Peter's knee.

'Ohh, I dunno, My eyesight might just start playing up'

'So might your fire alarm then'

'Well, hopefully a pentioner like me will manage' Peter winked, pulling up on the street. 'Right Si, you go on up and me and Carla will bring up the bags' Peter instructed, Giving the flat key to Simon. 'I'll grab your bags Carla and you take the shopping on up'

'Nawr, what would I do without you 'aye?' Carla laughed, kissing Peter's cheek and picking the shopping bags up from the back seat.

Peter grabbed the last over flown black bag full of Carla's bits, locking up the car and making his way upstairs. Just as he got to the top stair, the contents of the bag came toppling out, leaving some of Carla's clothes scattered across the floor. Peter began to scoop them up, bundling each item in one by one, ensuring it was pushed down as far as it could possibly go. After he had shoveled most of Carla's clothes up, he came across her black silky bra, he found himself picking it up and fingering at the lace, holding onto it a little longer than he'd intended to. 'It'd suit you' Carla nodded towards the bra smugly, making Peter jump, his eyes darting straight up and meeting Carla's.

'Oh, No, Erm the bag, it..'

'Ya'know, I've got a factory full of 'em, I'll have to give you a tour one day, you'd be in your element' Carla laughed, Enjoying watching Peter squirm.

'No, Erm, I wasn't looking. Well I was, but not in that way, some of the clothes fell out and so I was picking them up and I came across your erm..Your..'

Carla let out a hysteric laugh. 'My bra Peter. You can say it you know, I'm only messing with you. You're a man, It's natural for your eyes to linger, Don't worry' Carla carried on laughing as a relieved smile formed across Peter's face.

'I know, but I weren't ya'know, Perving or owt' Peter laughed awkwardly, standing up and picking up the bag again.

'I know Peter, honestly it's fine'

'I'll hold you to that tour though, If they're all as good quality as that one, I'll be impressed' Peter winked, walking off into his room with the bag.

'Right well, I look forward to your inspection then, captain underpants' Carla laughed.

* * *

'So, I've put your bags down by the wardrobe in there, ready for when you want to hang them all up. Now, you'll be sleeping in my bed and I'll take the camp bed that I've set up in there.. Or I can always sleep on the sofa if you'd prefer that?'

'No Peter! You keep your bed and I'll take the camp bed'

'Carla, what kind of man would that make me 'aye? No, You have the bed. End of discussion'

'Fine, But I'm definitely fine with you having the camp bed okay? You never know, I might get nightmares and need a cuddle during the night' Carla winked, emptying out the remainder of the shopping bag. 'Simon, We can start making the pizzas now!' Carla called as Simon came running out of his room

'Okay! I'll just go wash my hands'

'Ya'know, this is the happiest I've seen him since Leanne..' Peter trailed off.

'Well, What can I say? I 'ave that affect on people, Just call me 'Cheshire cat'' Carla laughed, tying up the apron that Peter had given her.

'Right come on then Big chef, little chef, Let's get cooking'

'Do you just sit at home and watch cbeebies?' Peter laughed.

'Oh fantastic, My secret's out. Least now I have an excuse in the form of you 'aye Si?' Carla winked, Remembering the times when Amy would sit watching it in the Rovers when ever she visited Michelle, back when Steve and her were dating. 'So come on then Gordon. Ready, steady, cook and all that'.

'Oh wow, she does watch grown up TV' Peter chuckled nudging at Simon. 'Right okay, So We've got to put the tomato puree on the base first, So I'll help you Si and Carla can do that one' He said, handing Carla a tube and a base.

Carla stood getting frustrated as she tried squeezing at the tube, Small amounts of puree only emitting out. She looked over to Simon and Peter's perfectly half done base 'Urgh, Peter it's only squirting out small bits!' Carla sighed, As Peter began to laugh. 'What's so funny?' Carla asked, getting more annoyed by the second, before realizing what Peter was actually laughing at. 'Oh, looks like I'm not the only immature one round here! Fine, No puree is coming out of the tube' Carla smiled, finding Peter's laugh becoming infectious.

'Sorry, I erm, Don't know what come over me' Peter breathed out beginning to laugh hysterically again, realizing what he'd just said sounded dirty in his mind too. It wasn't soon before Carla was stood in hysterics of laughter aswell.

'What are you two laughing at?' Simon laughed, finding it funny seeing them both in hysterics.

'Oh Don't worry son, Carla just got a little bit _dirty_ , That's all' Peter said, finally pulling himself together. 'Right, come on then, Let the expert help you' Peter stated smugly, wrapping his arms around Carla from behind, placing his hands on top of hers and squeezing the tube of puree. 'See'

'Well, It wasn't working before!'

'Must just be the touch of my magic hands'

'Well, your magic hands can return the favour and give me a massage later, I haven't had one in ages and Me back's been hurting a bit recently. Then we'll see how magic they really are' Carla laughed, biting down on her tongue.

'Oh, Bad back; That's a sign of old age too you know' Peter winked. 'Oh and Erm, what favour was that?' Peter chuckled tilting his head round so he had a better view of Carla.

'I gave you a massage after our Twister game! Don't try worming your way out of it Ramsay'

'Oh yes. How I could forget that I'll never know' Peter winked, continuing to spread the puree over the base.

'Yeah, So don't go working them hands too hard'

'Yes Mam!' Peter laughed, giving Carla a salute. 'How you doing over there Si?'

'I'm almost finished Dad, You can carry on helping Carla, she needs it more than I do'

'Aww, Thanks Si, You're a true gentleman' Carla winked.

'Are you saying I'm not?' Peter laughed, Putting his hands on Carla's hips, knowing they were her soft spot when It came to tickling.

'No, no, no. He's obviously learnt from the best' Carla smiled smugly, pulling Peter's hand off her hip and replacing it on the tube.

'I'm done Dad!' Simon smiled proudly.

'Good timing son, we're ready to start putting the cheese on top of them now' Peter explained, grabbing two bowls of grated cheese. 'Right, you've got to make sure you don't leave any big gaps son, otherwise It might burn parts of it, So use as much Cheese as you can'

'Come on then Ramsay, you going to help me or what?' Carla grinned, shoving the bowl towards him.

'What? You can't even do the cheese? How bad a cook are you exactly?' Peter winked.

'No! I just wanted you to do mine with me, but If You're too high up to help the likes off me, then fine' Carla said, feigning annoyance.

'I'll help you Carla!' Simon beamed having finished his. 'You've done a really good job at covering up the gaps. I don't think you're a bad cook' Simon smiled. 'Dad never cooks Pizza from scratch, he just orders it or buys it ready made'

'Oh does he now?' Carla laughed, shaking her head and tutting.

'Don't go ruining my reputation like that son'

'Well, Don't you worry Si. From now on, Whilst I'm here, There'll be no more ready made Pizzas'

'I'm glad you're staying' Simon grinned, hugging Carla's waist.

'Careful, he might never let you leave now'

'Well, at least some one appreciates my presence' Carla winked. 'Right come on then Si, The best part of all.. Well, except eating it of course.. Toppings!'

'What do you like on yours?'

'Ohh, I like a good old hawaiin, So I hope your Dad likes it too seeming as we're sharing this one'

'Dad always gets that one! I like chicken and Ham on mine though, It's the best. But Dad can always have both of ours if he'd like'

'Ohh, I'm definitely a hawaiin guy' Peter added in.

'Good, come and help me put the toppings on then' Carla said, pulling Peter towards her.

'Next time we play cupid, we're going to _have_ to make them this' Peter stated, placing the last piece of pineapple on the pizza.

'Michelle's still not forgiven me for the first time yet!'

'Oh, I'm sure she'll thank you when they're all loved up'

'Well, we could be on to a winner with these pizzas, As long as they come out alright'

'I'll set the oven timer Dad, Grandma Deirdre showed me how to work it'

'Yeah, Last time we baked, we just decided to use the fire alarm as our timer' Peter laughed.

'I would have expected better from you Ramsay' Carla smiled, wiping up the last bits of mess on the side. 'And there you have it, One clean kitchen and Dinner in the oven! I reckon I'd be good at all that housewife malarki ya'know'

'Oh yeah, I can definitely see you in your pinny hovering' Peter chuckled.

* * *

'They're ready you two!' Carla called into the bathroom where Simon was just getting out his bath after hearing the oven alarm beeping. 'I'll tell you what, these are dead impressive ya'know' Carla stated proudly.

'Look at my one!' Simon beamed, pointing to his pizza.

'Yours is by far the best!' Carla smiled 'Let's serve 'em up then' She said, rolling the pizza cutter down the middle so that each pizza was in eight equal pieces. 'That's something I can do successfully, Tuck in guys' She said, placing them down onto the table. 'And any bits that aren't eaten; Can be saved for lunch tomorrow, 'cause cold pizza tastes just as good'

'What with me being a top chef and all', these are by far two of the best pizzas I've ever 'ad' Peter smiled, biting into the pizza slice. 'You tired son?' Peter asked, seeing Simon submit a yawn.

'Yeah. We had a really busy day, we were on Sam's trampoline playing spies all day, even his dog joined in' Simon laughed. 'One day, can we get a dog Dad?'

'Ohh, I'll have to think about that Si, they can be a lot of hard work ya'know. Anyway, you've got Eccles, She's good fun'

'She's boring, she never plays! She just sleeps all day'

'Aww, I'll try and work on him Si' Carla winked.

'Thanks Carla, you're nice' Simon grinned, continuing to eat the pizza.

'Do you think it's about time you went to bed Mr? You're practically half asleep' Peter laughed, putting the spare Pizza slices in the fridge.

'Okay' Simon managed to breath out, following his Dad into his bedroom.

* * *

'He fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow' Peter chuckled, closing his bedroom door over.

'Bless him' Carla smiled, taking a sip of her Hot chocolate. 'I took the liberty of making us both one'

'Ta,' Peter smiled, putting his cup down on the coffee table. 'Come on then, Top off'

'You what?' Carla laughed, confused as to what he meant.

'Oh, so have you changed your mind on this massage then?'

'Oh yes! Forgot about that' Carla grinned, leaning over and putting her cup on the table.

'Tell me when you're ready' Peter laughed, turning around.

'Right okay, well where do you want me' Carla said in a jokey seductive voice.

'The sofa will probably be easier, If you just lie on it' Peter laughed, finding the situation funny.

'Right then, I'm ready' Carla giggled, as Peter approached her, Putting his knees either side of her on the sofa. 'Right, I'm just going to undo your bra strap' Peter explained, gripping hold of Carla's bra and unclipping it. He squirted a little bit of the baby oil that he'd bought in, into his hands and began to rub them together before placing them on Carla's bare back. 'That feel okay?' Peter asked, as he began to apply pressure to her back using only his thumbs.

'It feels heavenly Peter' Carla breathed out as Peter continued to rub her back in circles with the pad of his thumb, Making his way down her back and massaging as much of her spine as possible before her leggings were blocking anymore access. He added a tad more oil onto his hands before pinching at her shoulders, emitting moans from her everytime he hit a soft spot or a knot in her back. Finally, he used the tips of his fingers to lightly graze patterns down her spine and on the nape if her neck.

'So then, Are my Magic hands worthy of their title?' Peter laughed, climbing off Carla and reaching for his drink.

'Yes, and so much more. That was blissful Peter, I've paid top notch for massages like that ya'know. We're going to have to make this a weekly thing' Carla laughed

'Ohh careful, I might start charging you now' Peter winked, Taking his cup into the kitchen to let Carla pull herself back together.


	6. Chapter 6

'Wakey, Wakey sleeping beauty' A voice sounded from beside her as she rubbed her eyes, turning over in the bed to see Peter sat there with a cup of tea and a plate of toast.

'Peter, you didn't have to, It's good enough of you to let me stay in your bed, let alone provide me with breakfast in _your_ bed too..'

'Hey, It's all part of the service here at Barlow's Boutique Hotel' He winked.

'Well, Thankyou. I'm impressed' She said, forcing herself to sit up in the bed, taking the hot cup off Peter. 'Does room service help the guests to eat the food as well?' She smirked, Putting the plate inbetween them on the bed.

'Oh, I'm sure that can be done' Peter laughed, Grabbing a piece of toast. His eyes began to study her face, taking in all her features. How was it possible for her to look so untouched by the 10 hour sleep that she'd just endured? 'So then, What's your plans for today?'

'Well, Usually I spend me saturdays on't sofa with a bottle of red, and 'Come dine with me' as company, So I don't know really..'

'You've been doing it all wrong then, 'Come dine with me' is the company for Sundays' Peter laughed, shaking his head. 'But anyway, If you haven't actually got anything on, How do you fancy coming to me dad's birthday meal? I mean, you can say no if you want to, don't feel pressured or owt'

'Pressured? More like honoured. It usually takes a couple of months before I'm introduced to the parents'

'Oh, Well you're special in't ya'

'Aww, Ain't you just the perfect gentleman' Carla smiled, leaning her head to the side so that it was leant on his shoulder for a brief second, before returning to her original position. 'Seriously though, Wouldn't it be like I was invading in on you all?'

'No, not at all, Steve's coming along as well. I've asked me Dad on't the phone anyway, He was fine with it. It'll be nice to have someone else there, who is actually sane'

'Pfft, Me, Sane? But anyway, I guess I'll have just have to postpone me date with Come dine with me for another day then' Carla smiled, looking into Peter's eyes 'Thankyou, For the invite _and_ the breakfast'

'You're very welcome' Peter laughed 'I'll leave you to get dressed then' He smiled, taking the cup and plate away.

* * *

'Peter?' Carla called out from the bedroom later on that evening.

'Yeah?' He replied, lifting his head from the newspaper that he'd been reading.

'Can you come in here for a second please?'

'Yeah?' Peter said, opening the door to find Carla stood in her towel, his eyes wandering her body as she stood looking in the wardrobe doors, quickly averting his gaze to her face when she turned her attention to him. It's natural for any man to look, when he's got a body like that stood in front of him.

'What should I wear?' She sighed, placing her hands on her hips and looking down at the outfits she'd laid out on the bed.

'This one's nice' Peter walked over to stand beside her, pointing at the black jeans and off the shoulder top that was sprawled across the bed.

'Yeah, but isn't that _too_ casual?' Carla replied, biting on her thumb nail nervously.

'Well, wear the other one then' Peter laughed.

'Yeah, but isn't that too 'done up'?'

'Wear nothing then' Peter smiled, throwing Carla a wink, Not really bothered by what it was that Carla wore.

'Oh, you'd love that' Carla laughed 'No, You're right, I'll wear this one' Carla said, picking up the outfit Peter had suggested in the first place.

'Women' Peter laughed, walking back out of the bedroom.

* * *

'Ya'know, I'm not sure about this outfit Peter' Carla sighed, pulling at the top and brushing it down as she walked into the living room.

'Why not?'

'I don't know, It just doesn't look right'

'Don't be stupid, You look beautiful. Don't she Si?'

'Yeah!' Simon beamed, looking up from the telly, as Carla's face looked unsure. 'You'll be the prettiest one there'

'And trust me, you've got some tough competition, our Deirdre and Tracy are strong contenders' Peter winked as Carla smirked, rolling her eyes. 'Coffee before we go?'

'Oh, yes please' Carla smiled, walking into the kitchen with Peter as he filled the kettle.

'You don't have to worry you know, It'll be fine' Peter spoke, noticing that Carla was quieter than usual.

'I know, I know. I'm just not very good with Family's, I never 'ave been' Carla murmured, looking down at her nails.

'Ey', come 'ere' Peter said, pulling Carla into an embrace. 'You've met them all before, they all like ya'

'I know, It's just.. I've never really been to family meals before, except from the Connor's, And even then I didn't really feel comfortable' Carla spoke into Peter's neck.

'Hey, I won't leave your side, I promise, And if you want to leave, We'll be straight out that door. Okay?' Peter whispered into her ear, as she gave a gentle nod.

They stood there for a while longer, just holding each other, It didn't feel awkward though, and there wasn't any other meaning to it than friendship. It was just a comfortable embrace, that felt right.

* * *

'We ready then?' Peter asked, opening the door to the flat as Carla zipped up Simon's coat. 'You got the present Si?'

'Yep. Do you think Grandad will like his jumper Carla?' Simon continued as they made their way down the stairs.

'Oh, I'm sure he'll love it'

'Well, I'm sure _anything_ beats one of Grandma Deirdre's pots' Peter chuckled, locking the flat door as Ciaran approached them.

'My, My, My, What's this then?' Ciaran teased.

'Carla's moved in here for a bit, Just while her flat's having some work done, that's all' Peter replied, knowing exactly what Ciaran was getting at.

'Moved in as a friend?..' Ciaran ventured

'Nope, We've been at it like rabbits for, oh, a while now' Carla shot back whilst Simon was out of ear shot, occupying himself with the autumn leaves that were scattered across the floor.

'Ahh, I knew it!' Ciaran revelled, rubbing his hands together. 'I'll let you get back to it then' Ciaran chuckled, walking off.

'Bye' Carla and Peter laughed, rolling their eyes.

'Come on then Si' Peter called, putting his hand on the small of Carla's back, as they walked across to number 1, Simon running ahead. 'And if you want to leave, just give me the nod and we'll get you back to that date of yours' Peter winked as they reached the door, welcomed by Ken.

'Ahh, Peter, Carla, Come on in' Ken gushed, stepping to the side, 'Let me take your coats'

'Thanks' Carla said, handing her coat over to Ken.

'This way Carla' Simon pulled on Carla by her hand, leading her into the living area where they were all greeted by Deirdre, Steve, Amy and Tracy.

'Please, Take a seat' Ken smiled, nodding his head towards the three empty seats at the end of the table.

'Si, Why don't you take a seat next to Amy' Peter said, knowing Carla would feel a lot more at ease if she was sitting between him and Simon.

'Can Carla sit next to me Dad?' Simon asked as Peter nodded, pulling the chair out for Carla as she sat down.

'Wow, Looks like he's got used to you already Carla. Won't be long before he's calling you mum' Tracy goaded.

'Tracy' Peter warned, knowing that she could be a handful at times. He put his hand on Carla's knee, reassuring her that he was there if she needed.

* * *

'Thanks Deirdre, That was lovely' Carla smiled as she took one last mouthful of the cake Deirdre had made.

'Trust me Carla, You really don't have to pretend' Tracy smiled 'We all know we're not going to be seeing Mum on The Great British Bake Off anytime soon'

Carla gave a slight smile, showing her agreement but not wanting to offend Deirdre. The dinner had gone better than she'd expected, In fact, you could say it had went perfectly. Everyone had included her, making sure she had her input in the conversations that were going on. Tracy had been off with her at first, but eventually even she'd warmed to Carla's humour; a rare thing for her. The laughing had been continuous throughout the whole dinner and Carla couldn't have felt any more comfortable. She'd not even felt this comfortable with the Connor's. She was fine with Paul, Liam and Michelle of course, It was just Helen who'd never been welcoming towards her. For what was the first time in Carla's life, She actually felt welcomed by a family, It was almost as if she was a part of it.

Carla's thoughts were broken by Peter as everyone else at the table was involved in separate conversations, 'So then, what's the verdict?'

'Have I given you the nod?' Carla smiled as Peter proudly shook his head. 'Well then, there's your answer' She grinned.

'Why don't you four go along to the Rovers and me and Deirdre will look after Si and Amy?' Ken questioned, Happy with how the evening had went.

'I'd rather just stay in thanks Dad, I'm not feeling too great ya'know' Tracy groaned 'It's your dodgy cooking this is Mam'

'That'd explain why you're all feeling that way then wouldn't it, seemings as you all ate my dodgy cooking!' Deirdre laughed.

'Yeah, and I best be off anyway, I've got an early start tomorrow' Steve piped up, finishing the remainder of his drink.

'I think we'll take you up on that offer though Dad'

'Only if you're sure Ken..'Carla added.

'Of course. I couldn't think of anything better than spending the evening of my birthday with my two favorite grand children. In fact, Why doesn't Simon stay the night? It'll be easier for the two of you as well..'

'As long as your sure that it won't be too much trouble Dad?'

'Oh of course it won't, We've already got things for him here. Now go on' Dierdre said, ushering them out.

'Okay, Well I'll see you in the morning then son' Peter smiled, rubbing Simon's hair 'Cheers Dad'

'Thanks for the lovely meal both of you, I've really enjoyed myself' Carla smiled, putting on her coat and kissing Ken and Deirdre goodbye.

'Thank you for coming along' Ken replied as they said their final goodbye's.

Whilst they were making their way towards the Rovers, Carla leant closer to Peter's face, Giving him a peck on the cheek.

'What was that for?'

'Tonight' Carla smiled. 'You were great and I genuinely did enjoy meself'

'You'll have to come along more often' Peter laughed as they entered The Rovers, 'I'll get these, you go sit down' He said as Carla went and sat in a booth.

'Here you are, one large red'

'Ya'know, anyone would think you were trying to get me drunk Barlow, What with the constant refills at your Dad's n'all' Carla smirked, taking a sip of her drink.

'Well, I didn't see you complaining Mrs Connor'

'Yeah, Well, I'm not one to let a good drink go to waste'

'Seeming's as you say that, I got you a bottle of red back at ours, we could just ditch this place' Peter suggested.

'Okay then, well we'll have to neck these quick, couldn't have 'em go to waste' Carla smirked, downing what was left in her glass. 'Oh come on Barlow, keep up' She laughed, watching Peter still downing his orange juice

'I'm not the young lad I used to be ya'know. That orange juice is pretty hard core stuff' He chuckled in response.

'Could've fooled me' Carla grinned, standing up from the booth and walking out to find it was pouring it down with rain, Peter closely following behind her. 'Oh dear'

'Get ready to run'

'In these heels?' Carla laughed, squealing as Peter tugged on her hand, pulling her across the cobbles. 'Hurry up and unlock it then!' Carla chuckled, as they reached the flat door, Peter fiddling around with the keys.

'I'm trying, I'm trying!'

'Oh, Give it 'ere' Carla laughed, taking the keys, and unlocking the door. 'Men' She laughed, referring back to Peter's earlier comment.

* * *

'Here' Peter said, handing Carla her glass of red wine as she entered the dim lit living room in her pajamas.

'Ta' she smiled, sitting down on the sofa next to Peter and pulling the throw over them.

'I've had a brilliant night, thanks for coming along' He smiled, absent mindedly stroking her forearm with his thumb.

'Ohh, don't thank me, it were great' She grinned.

'I'm sorry you missed your date' he winked.

'Ahh, that's where you're wrong' Carla smiled, leaning over to grab the remote and turning the telly on. 'It's all been recorded' She grinned smugly.

'How'd ya do that? I didn't even know our TV could do that'

'Well, I did take an electronics course Peter'

'You did?' Peter asked, amazed.

'No!' Carla laughed, 'I just pressed the button that said 'record' on the remote. As if _I_ could've done an electronics course'

'Well, you're a very smart women Carla'

'Nawr, And you're a very charming man' She smiled, tapping his face. 'So, you watching them with me then or will that be ruining your street cred?'

'Well, I'm sure my street cred's okay taking a knock now and then' He smirked, as Carla grinned, snuggling her body into his, trying to figure out how to start it, as Peter's phone began to ring.

'Y'alright mate?..What?..Wait, slow down and explain that again, I can't hear ya with all that noise going on in't background..Well, Who is she?..Tomorrow?!..Oh, I don't know mate..Okay, Okay, well ring me tomorrow morning to let me know what's happening then..Alright, Bye' Peter said, as Carla finally managed to suss the recording out.

'What was all that about?' She chuckled.

'Oh just Ciaran playing cupid, he's gone and set me up on a date with some waitress tomorrow night' Peter replied, as Carla's face dropped slightly.

'Oh, That's great' She said, forcing a smile and pressing play on the recording. Everything was going so well here, She knew that if a woman were to come into the picture, It'd destroy her and Peter's friendship. He'd not be as bothered about her and their closeness would fade away. It was almost as if she felt jealous, Jealous at the idea of someone else having what she had now, even though it wasn't hers? No. She should feel happy for Peter, she did feel happy for him. This would be his chance to move on from Leanne, and live the life he deserved. Besides, Carla staying here wasn't going to be forever. She had to put aside any worries she had of losing Peter as a friend, and instead be happy that now was his chance to bring a new relationship into his and Simon's life.

'You alright?' Peter asked, noting that Carla's response hadn't exactly sounded convincing. Suddenly he realized, she was probably worrying that a new woman in his life would mean that he would forget about her, but that definitely was not the case, and he needed to ensure her of that. 'It won't change this Carla, our friendship'

'Mmm, She might not be as understanding of _our friendship_ as we are though. It's not exactly the most normal thing, is it? A girl and a guy having such a close relationship without their being sex involved'

'Yeah, but we're living proof that it does exist. Ya'know though, I won't go on this date if you don't want me to?'

There it was. Proof that Peter Barlow wasn't the type of guy to just dump his friend the moment he got some arm candy. The fact that he would cancel his date, Just to provoke any doubts Carla had, proved just how much he valued their friendship. Now, she felt nothing but happiness for him. What girl in their right mind, wouldn't like to be able to call a man like that, her boyfriend?

'No way. That was as much assurance as I needed. I'm genuinely happy for ya Barlow, though you best let me prep ya tomorrow, ya'know, give you some tips and that'

'Well, I'd be a fool to turn that down, wouldn't I?' He laughed, kissing her forehead as she rested her head against his shoulder.

'Ya'know, once you're dating someone Peter, we're not going to be able to cuddle like this. So, I think we should make the most of it, and sleep here for the night, What do ya say?'

'I say, we go grab some pillows and a duvet' He smiled, as Carla got up to grab them 'Though Carla, We're just going to be doing it for the sake of it, not to 'make the most of it', 'cause no relationship is going to stop me from having cuddles with my bestfriend' He grinned, as she felt her heart melt a little.

'Be right back'

'Hurry up Car! I've re-winded it back to the beginning again' Peter called, laughing as she came tumbling in, throwing the duvet and pillows on top of him.

'I see the room service quickly died down' She smiled, resuming her previous place on the sofa, and laying her head against Peter's chest as he pressed play.

'Night Barlow, remember, up bright and early for your dating masterclass' She smirked.

'Yes Mrs Connor' he chuckled, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head as they lay there, watching 'Come dine with me'.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter and Carla were both awoken by the frantic buzzing of the intercom to their temporarily shared flat.

'Morning you' Peter smiled, looking down at the half-asleep beauty resting on his chest.

'Morning' Carla yawned, stretching out her limbs as Peter removed himself from underneath her and stumbled over to the door.

'Alright, Alright,' he shouted out, picking up the phone 'Oh, it's you' Peter spoke before buzzing the person on the other end up. 'It's Ciaran'

'My, my, my, this date must be good if he's this keen..' Carla bit down on her lip, ruffling her hands through her hair in an attempt to neaten it up.

'Top of the morning to ya..' Ciaran chirped, entering the flat. His glance quickly caught the two wine glasses on the table, followed by the duvet and pillows sprawled across the sofa. 'Ahhh..' He stood grinning.

'No' Carla said, quickly realising the assumption that Ciaran had made.

'Ya'know, If you've already got yourself a date, then I'm sure the one I've got lined up for ya can wait..' he pressed on.

'It's nothing like that!' Peter shook his head, busying himself making cups of tea.

'Good, 'cause I'm telling ya, this waitress is a cracker'

'Oh, and I'm not?' Carla laughed

'You're much better than a cracker darlin'' Ciaran winked, his flirtatious nature was now something that everyone was used to, especially Carla.

'So come on then, fill us in on this 'cracker'' Carla grinned, eager to find out as much as possible about this woman.

Ciaran sat himself down in the armchair, 'Right, well her name's Sarah. She works as a waitress in the italian restaurant in town'

'Okay..' Peter replied, putting the tray of cups down on the table.

'Never been married, no kids, no baggage..'

'What is she, 13?!' Carla chuckled, finding it hard to believe that anyone could have 'no baggage'.

'No, actually, she's 29'

'29?!' Carla laughed, 'You sure you haven't got the local nursery and the local Italian mixed up?'

Peter couldn't help but laugh at her remarks, 'that is a bit young for me mate..'

'Leanne was that age' Ciaran tried to reason

'Yeah, and look how that one worked out' Peter replied, a hint of sadness to his tone

'Oh come on, it's worth a shot i'nt it? And trust me mate, she's gorgeous'

Carla glanced over at Peter, despite her worries from last night, she knew it'd do Peter good to have a relationship in his life; a distraction. 'I agree with Ciaran, anyway ya know what they say 'try it before you buy it'  
you can try it out and see what it's like, it doesn't mean it has to develope into anything else..' She winked, receiving a smile off Peter.

'Alright, but if she starts treating me like some pensioner, I'm out of there and straight back home to me hot chocolate' Peter quipped, causing them all to laugh.

'Ahh fantastic! She said that she'll pick you up at 7 o'clock on the dot' Ciaran beamed, getting up to go.

'Not so fast' Peter stopped him, 'Seeming's I've agreed to it; you can do me a favour. You can have Simon for the day and I'll pick him up when the 'date's' over'

'I'll pick him up whilst you're on the date? You never know, you might strike lucky and not come back until tomorrow morning' Carla winked

'I'm fine to look after him for the day but I'll have to drop him off with Carla, I've got to be in the bistro at 7:30..'

'You sure you're okay with that?' Peter asked, absentmindedly stroking Carla's leg.

'Course! It'll be nice to 'ave the company!'

'Great, well he's at my Dad's so if you pick him up from there in the next hour, and I'll give him a call to let him know that you're collecting him'

'Righty ho' Ciaran said, 'You make the most of tonight, I'm telling ya', you'll love her' Ciaran winked, giving Peter a pat on the back.

'Yeah, cheers buddy' Peter smiled, as Ciaran made his way out of the flat.

'Well, she sounds... fun?' Carla smirked

'She sounds like another Leanne'

'He said 'no baggage, no marriage' remember' Carla winked

'True..'

'Well, I best get ready for work but once I come back, your dating lesson will begin' Carla grinned, going into the bedroom to get ready.

* * *

'Honey, I'm home!' Carla joked, entering the flat after she'd finished work at the factory.

'In 'ere!' Peter called out from the bedroom

'Well, you certainly like to move fast' she quipped, making her way in.  
'You decent in there Barlow?'

'Yes!' Peter chuckled, as Carla entered, giving him a kiss on the cheek and placing her arm over his shoulder.

'Ohh, these all look very smart, I am impressed' Carla said, looking down at the suits on the bed.

'I don't know which one to wear, I don't want to look like I'm trying to impress her, and I don't want to look too 'poncy', I don't even know if a suit's the best idea..'

'Barlow, you could never look 'too poncy', you run a backstreet betting shop'

'You make me sound like a right catch!' Peter laughed, turning his head to look at Carla, their faces inches away from each other due to her arm still being slung over his shoulder.

'Of course you're a catch. You'll make someone a great Nemo' Carla smirked '  
Anyway, there's only one way to make this decision; we're 'avin a fashion show'

'Seriously? I still don't think you've registered that I'm not gay..'

'Oh come on, it'll be a laugh; besides how long 'as is been since you wore some of them? I don't expect catwalks and poses, don't worry..' Carla chuckled..''Ere, Go put this one on first, It's a demand now, not a question'  
Carla instructed, bundling the suit into his hands.

'Only 'cause it's you' Peter replied, taking the suit and going to put it on.

Carla slumped down on the bed, rubbing Peter's aftershave on her wrists and putting it to her nose 'mmm, I like the smell of this aftershave Barlow' She Called out, Grinning as a dapper looking Peter entered the bedroom. 'Very nice' She beamed 'Give us a twirl then'

'I dunno.. it's a bit tight' he said, spinning around

'Good, that way it shows off your muscles..amongst other things..' Carla smirked, looking his body up and down causing Peter to laugh. 'I don't think there's much point in you trying on these other ones, I think we found our winner'

'Thank God for that..' Peter laughed, leaving the room to change out of his suit.

Carla looked down at the two remaining suits on the bed, she could tell Peter was feeling nervous and she wanted to do something to take his mind off any worries he had.

'Hi Sarah, Nice to meet you, I'm Peter Barlow, though I sometimes go under the name Noel, or occasionally I'm Gordon, Sometimes it's Cupid though, and on special occasions it's Superman, But you can just call me 'Nemo'' Carla spoke in a smooth tone, putting on a mans voice as she entered the living room.

Peter laughed, turning round from his position on the sofa to see Carla wearing one of his suits, it practically swallowing her up with it being so big on her.

'Wow Nemo, you look gorgeous, where've you been all my life?' Peter kept up the act. Carla laughed, making her way over to the sofa where Peter was sat, making sure she held up the suit.

'Please tell me you're not going to use that line tonight..' she teased.

'Oh no, I was planning on 'did it hurt when you feel from heaven?' Peter joked. 'Seriously though, that suit look's good on you. It really shows off your assets he laughed, pulling her into his side and putting his arm around her. 'Seriously though, I can't remember the last time I went on a date. I don't have a clue what we'll actually talk about..'

'Well, just talk to her like you talk to me and you'll have no worries'

'It's easy with you though, I'm comfortable around you'

'And eventually after time, you'll be comfortable around her too. Besides if she's a waitress, then I assume she'll probably have good people skills anyway.. If not, then you can do the 'I'm just popping to the bathroom' line and then you can give me a ring'

'If it comes to that, I think I'll just not bother returning from the bathroom' he laughed, running his fingers through her hair.

'So, you hoping for a kiss tonight then?'

'I'm worrying about striking up conversation with her, let alone shoving my tongue down her throat'

'Or you could just spend the whole time making out, that way conversation won't be a worry' she chuckled

'I wouldn't even know how to go about kissing her'

'Practice on me then..'

'What?' Peter laughed, 'you do like to take your lessons seriously don't ya..'

'Not actually kiss me obviously, but how you'd lead up to it..' she smirked

'No way'

'Why not?!'

'It's embarrassing' Peter chuckled, looking over at Carla who had now sat up

'Fine, I'll go first then..' Carla laughed. 'If it goes well and you want a kiss off her, then this is the right way to go about it.. First, you give her a kiss on the cheek like this..' Carla said, moving her head forwards and placing a kiss on his cheek. 'Then as you pull out, you let your nose brush against hers, before making brief eye contact' Carla continued, demonstrating the instructions on Peter. 'Then you slowly move in for the kiss' Carla moved her head forward, leaning in towards Peter's lips. Suddenly Peter's palms became sweaty and he got a sudden rush of butterflies in his stomach at the thought of Carla kissing him. 'And that's it! she'll be putty in your hands' Carla grinned, pulling back just before her lips touched Peter's.

'But our lips didn't touch..' Peter teased

'Sarah can continue the rest later on tonight' she chuckled 'trust me, after that technique, you'll be trying to fight her off. It's always worked for me ..'

'Yeah, well of course it'd work for you..'

'Oh you'd be surprised at how many rejections I've received in my life Barlow'

'Well, they must've been insane. You were lucky to escape them..'

'You're a sweetie.. I do love you ya'know' Carla smiled

'I love you n'all, and you make a very good cupid too'

'Oh I know, shame you couldn't have brought her back to the secret garden' Carla winked, referring to the date they'd set up for Ciaran and Michelle. 'If you do want to bring her back though, give me a ring for a heads up and I'll go bunk in with Simon'

'I won't be bringing her back, I wouldn't do that to Simon' he replied, causing Carla to smile. 'Or you..'

'Me?'

'Yeah. This is your temporary home; the last thing I want you to feel is uncomfortable'

'Are you sure you don't just want to cancel this date and take me out instead?!' Carla joked

'mmm, I'd love to take you out, especially in that outfit.. There's something missing though' Peter smirked, reaching over and grabbing Simon's pack of colouring pens off the table. 'You need the facial hair..' he said, pulling Carla's face towards him and drawing a beard, gaining giggles from Carla whenever the pen tickled her. 'It's like looking in the mirror'

'Or you could just switch on 'Deal or No Deal' for that' she teased

'Oh really?' Peter smiled, taking the lid off the pen and going to draw more on Carla's face, struggling as she fought back in between laughter

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' Carla screeched, as Peter gave in, putting the lid back on the pen.

'I best go get ready' Peter said regaining his composure, looking down at his watch. 'She'll be here soon'

'Don't forget to mouthwash' Carla winked.

15 minutes later and Peter was stepping out of the shower as the buzzer went.

'Carla? Can you just get that for me, I've got to put my suit on'

'Alright' Carla replied, buzzing her up. Carla opened the door to the flat to see a tall woman stood there, dressed in a tight red dress that showed off her immaculate figure perfectly. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her back, and her olive skin shone in the light of the flat. Suddenly Carla remembered what she was wearing, and what was all over her face. 'Oh hi, I'm erm Peter's flat mate.. come in a moment, he's just got to finish getting ready'

'Right..' The woman replied, a little taken aback by the scene before her.

'I was just playing dress up with Simon' Carla explained, knowing she couldn't reveal the truth.

'I see' Carla didn't really know what to think of the woman. She was beautiful, there was no denying that..But she just seemed off. Carla could hardly blame her though, it wasn't exactly the most normal situation to begin a date with.

'Did you want a drink?' Carla asked, hoping that Peter would hurry up

'I'm okay thanks' There was an awkward silence before Peter came out of the bedroom.

'Hi, Sarah isn't it? You look fantastic' Peter smiled, walking up to the woman and giving her a kiss on the cheek 'Sorry about the wait' Peter was quite surprised actually, he hadn't expected the woman to look the way she did and he wasn't sure if he was surprised in a good way or a bad way. She didn't really look like Peter's usual type, but then again, his usual type had never been right for him.

'It's fine.. should we get going?'

'Erm yeah, let's go' He smiled, following her lead out of the flat. 'Bye Carla' he laughed, realising she still had the suit on.

* * *

Ciaran had dropped Simon off shortly after Peter had left and Carla had made them both a hot chocolate before sticking a film on

'What did the lady look like?' Simon asked, curious as to what the woman his dad was now dating was like

'She was very pretty. She was tanned and she had nice long blonde hair, with blue eyes.. I think you're dad liked her lots'

'You're prettier' he smiled 'and dad likes you lots too'

'That's a different type of like though Si' Carla laughed

'Why can't he take you out on a date instead? You make him laugh more than he ever did with Leanne, and I like you too'

'Thanks Si, I like you n'all. Me and your dad are just very good friends though, if we dated then we probably wouldn't get on as much as we do now'

'It sounds complicated being an adult'

* * *

It was about an hour into the date, they'd both decided on going to a little restaurant in town. The conversation had flowed and they'd found out a lot about each other. He hadn't really figured her personality out yet, but he didn't really expect to on the first date.

'So then, tell me about your flat mate'

'Flat mate? Oh Carla'

'Oh, so it was a woman then! Wasn't quite sure what with the outfit.. She's a very pretty _woman_ isn't she?'

'Erm yeah, you could say that..'

'Anything ever happened between you two then?'

'No, she's just staying with me whilst her flat gets sorted out. She's a close mate'

'Oh, I've heard that one before' She laughed sarcastically.

'Well, it's the truth. It's not a problem is it?'

'Not at the moment, no'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, if this were to develop onto a second date, it's not going to be helpful having her lurking around, is it?'

Peter didn't really know how to respond. He knew this would probably pose a problem, but he didn't expect it to come up on the first date.

* * *

'I'm back'

'Oh, hey' Carla said, sitting up on the sofa. 'So come on then, tell me all about it!' She smiled, patting the space next to her.

'It were alright' Peter explained, sitting down next to Carla, pulling her into his chest.

'Just 'alright'?' Carla pressed

'Yeah, the first hour went okay, we talked and laughed and got to know each other a bit..'

'What about the second hour then?'

'Yeah, let's just say there won't be a second date..'

'Oh Peter, I'm sorry. What went wrong?'

'She made her feelings very clear on _this_ arrangement..regardless of it being temporary'

'Just as I expected then.. Peter, I can just find somewhere else to stay for the time being if it's going to get in the way of you having a life'

'No way. It's not like anything was ever going to happen between me and her'

'You said the first hour went well though..'

'Yeah, not well enough for me to lose you over'

'Ciaran was right though, she was gorgeous'

'She were okay. I couldn't get the whole 'barbie' title out me head though, She wasn't exactly my type. I prefer my women to wear suits and draw their facial hair on'

'Good luck finding one of them' she winked

'I know, they're one of a kind. Anyway, it was never going to be easy Finding my Nemo, was it?' Peter chuckled, hugging Carla closer. 'Si in bed?'

'Yeah, he wanted to wait up for you but my special hot chocolate knocked him out'

'Thanks for looking after him, he loves you ya'know'

'Who doesn't?' Carla smirked, pulling away from Peter. 'You owe me though'

'Yeah?'

'Mhm, I think a nice hot bubble bath will do'

'Right then madamme, One bubble bath coming up' he smiled, planting a kiss on top of her head.


	8. Chapter 8

'Oh, you're dressed..' Peter said upon seeing Carla enter the living room, dressed in one of her usual glamorous outfits.

'Yeah, I've got to pop into work'

'On a Saturday?'

'Yeah, there's been a mix up with the paperwork for the orders we're working on. All the calculations have got mixed up n'all, so I've just got to go and sort it out'

'Oh right, well it looks like Si will just have to have this toastie then..'

'I don't think so!' Carla quipped, piling it into her hands and grabbing her bag 'Cheers Gordon' she called, shutting the flat door behind her.

* * *

'Hey you' Carla grinned as Peter entered her office, furrowing her brow when she saw the paper bags in his hand.

'I brought us lunch'

'Peter, you didn't have to do that!'

'I know, I wanted to' He smiled, beginning to empty out the contents of the bags.

'No, you really didn't have to..' Carla teased, her face dropping slightly at the bag of salad. As much as she liked to try and eat healthy, she was starving right now and the last thing she wanted to be eating was salad.

'That's for Deirdre, don't worry. She asked me to get her some whilst I was out. As if you'd ever catch me eating salad of my own will'

'Well, you could be trying to impress me..' She smirked.

'Now why would I want to do that?..'

'I don't know. You tell me' She laughed, biting down on the end of her pen.

'Maybe because your ego's so big?' he joked.

'Just call me superman' She replied in a sarcastic voice, mocking Peter from the other day.

'Well, I've brought us some bacon sarnies and an eclair, so any chance of impressing you has clearly gone out the window'

'Actually, that's exactly the way to go if you're trying to win me over' she winked.

'I'll let your future boyfriends know that then, seeming's as you've such high standards'

'Best take note yourself then' she joked

'Already have. That'll be breakfast for the next week, then by next Sunday, I'll be back in me own bed again' he winked

'Let's just skip the week, and jump straight to that bit' she laughed, taking her sandwich from him. 'You even included the ketchup. Bonus points for you Barlow'

'How anyone could possibly enjoy a bacon sarnie without a bit of sauce is beyond me. Anyway, how's the work going?' he asked, perching himself on the edge of her desk.

'Well, I've sorted out the mix up between the two orders, now I've just got to re-do the calculations and I'll be done. I hate calculating though, maths never were me strong point ya'know'

'Well, I can give you a hand if you like? You've got to be quite good at calculations when you run a bookies'

'Only if you don't mind? What with Si being at his party, and me being here, you've got a couple of free hours to go searching for your Nemo' she winked

'If I minded, do you think I'd have bothered bringing you lunch?' he smiled, taking a bite of his sarnie.

'I think really you've just come for that tour'

'Ahhh, you've sussed me. I had a better idea than a tour though. Seeming's I put on a fashion show for you last night, I was hoping you might put one on for me in return' he winked 'I like the look of those red ones' he nodded his head in the direction of the manikin displaying a matching lacy red underwear set.

'You carry on dreaming Barlow' she smirked 'Though, I wouldn't oblige to you putting 'em on. 'Aye, you could be underworlds new model'

'It wouldn't work. People would be too distracted by my _amazing body_ to concentrate on the underwear; It'd do no favours for your business'

'And you say _I've_ got a big ego' she laughed, finishing her last mouthful.

'Go on then, you go make the cwwwaffes and I'll take a look at these calculations'

'Yes sir' she mocked, strutting out of the office.

* * *

'Here you go Barlow' she said, placing the coffee down in front of Peter

'Ta, And if you think I'm moving then think again, Don't think I've ever sat in a comfier chair ya'know'

'Fine by me' She smirked, placing herself on his lap and leaning back into him. 'So then superman, think you can help me?'

'Yeah, shouldn't take too long'

*About ten minutes later and Peter was just finishing off the last sum*

'There you go' Peter said, placing the pen down on the desk.

'Thankyou so much' she smiled, pecking him on the cheek and wrapping her arms round his neck.

'Eclair time?' he grinned, grabbing the bag of eclairs off the desk

'Feed me it' she smirked, her arms still wrapped around Peter's neck

'So, I've just done all your calculations for you, and now you want me to feed you?'

'If you want to impress me, yes..' she teased

'Here you are then' he said, putting the eclair to her mouth as she took the first bite, revealing the cream in the center of the cake as she did so. She opened her mouth when she'd finished the bite, indicating that she was ready for more. Peter moved it towards her face, before deliberately missing her mouth and plunging it into her nose.

'Uhhh' Carla laughed, removing her hand from around his neck and grabbing hold of his arm that had hold of the eclair, before directing it into his face. Now they were both just laughing at each others expense, whilst still trying to direct it into one another's face. Eventually the eclair just became a squashed mess due to their food fight, and Peter placed it down on the desk. 'What would our parents think 'aye? Playing with our food'

'Oh, they're ones to talk. I'm sure they've played with their food in much different ways' he chuckled

'Ohhhhh, we'll have to test those ways out later' she winked, wiping the cream off Peter's face with her finger, before placing it in her mouth. On the next piece she wiped off, she directed into his mouth instead, allowing him to lick the cream off her finger before giving him a cheeky smirk. 'Here' she laughed, passing him a tissue from the box on her desk, taking one out herself and wiping the cream off her face. 'Oh, I forgot to tell ya. 'Chelle's back next week, so I can go stay with her if you'd like to get your life back'

'You are a part of me life. You can go stay with her if you want to, but I'd much prefer you stayed with me and Si'

'Even though I leave me underwear all over the place, and sing badly whilst I'm in the shower..and make a complete mess of your kitchen whenever I try to make the simplest bit of food?'

'Especially because you do all those things' he chuckled 'I love having you round'

'You promise?'

'Promise' he smiled, looking into her eyes. She looked straight back into his, her long eyelashes fluttering, her green orbs glowing as a smile tugged at her lips.

* * *

It was a few hours later and Peter, Simon and Carla were all sitting on the sofa in the flat following the dinner they'd just eaten.

'Can I look in your make-up bag Carla?' Simon questioned, reaching for the bag on the coffee table as Carla laughed.

'Course ya can Si'

'What does this do?' Simon pondered, picking up one of the make-up tools

'You use it to curl your eyelashes'

'What about this?' he asked, pulling out another item

'When you pull the lid off, it's a lipstick' she smiled, pulling the lid off for him 'see'

'Can I put it on you?' He beamed

'I've got a little idea, why don't we play a game?'

'Yeah!' Simon grinned, placing the bag back on the table and waiting for Carla to give him the instructions.

'Oh god' Peter laughed, burying his face into his hands

'Oh come on, don't be a spoilt sport' Carla teased, nudging him 'I think you'll like this game. Basically, we all put the lipstick on our lips, then we kiss the person next to us on the face, and the person who can get the most lip prints on their partner's face in 20 seconds, wins' she smiled, waiting for Peter and Simon's reaction.

'Okay, who's my partner?' Simon beamed, he'd never worn lipstick before and he was quite excited at the thought of wearing it.

'We'll go round this way, so I'll do your dad, your dad can do you, and you can do me. Yeah?'

'How come Si gets to do you?' Peter teased

'Because I want to do you' she smirked, putting the lipstick on her lips 'Right then Si, you've got to count to thirty aloud' she said, grabbing Peter's face.

'1 mississipi, 2 mississipi..' Simon began to count as Carla kissed every available space on Peter's face. All of them laughing as she did so. Peter placed his hands on her hips as she climbed onto him more to reach further spots on his face. '17 mississipi..' Carla had pretty much ran out of all available space on Peter's face now, and placed one quick last kiss on Peter's lips, taking Peter by surprise just before Simon reached 20.

'What a shame it had to end at 20..' he winked, his hands still holding her hips

'Your turn Dad' Simon giggled, as Carla put lipstick on Peter, counting down as Peter did the same to Simon's face.

'20 mississipi.. Right come on then Si, your turn' she smiled, covering his lips in lipstick. 'And Go!'

Peter began to count, as Simon placed as many kisses as he could on Carla's face. He admired the scene before him; his son and Carla getting along as if they'd known each other for years. He'd been surprised at how good Carla was around children. He'd never put her down as the motherly type, but viewing her with Simon had completely changed his mind. 'And stop!' He said as Si placed his last kiss on Carla's cheek.

'Right, well, it looks like there's a clear winner here' Carla smiled, passing them all the mirror to look at their own face.

'Dad's got most on his face, Carla's the winner!' Simon shouted as Carla smiled smugly, repeatedly placing kisses on both Peter and Simon's cheeks

* * *

'That party must have tired him out, he fell asleep straight away' Peter laughed, sitting down next to Carla on the sofa.

'or all that kissing..'

'Well, least he can be proud of his first kiss 'aye, he can tell everyone how he kissed a gorgeous, raven haired woman' he teased 'and you're certainly a good kisser'

'Well, After my technique yesterday, how could I not be?' she winked 'So come on then, what was your first kiss like, who was the lucky lady?'

'Her name was Nicole, she used to live just down the road actually. We were about 12 and it were during a game of truth or dare. Then her dad found out about it and came round the next day, telling me to stay away from her. So come on then, what about yours?' he asked, laughing at the memories of his own

'I were 13 and it was in the school bike sheds with my boyfriend at the time, Leon. I dumped him the next day 'cause I didn't like it though' she explained, chuckling. 'Then I met Paul'

'Was he the love of your life?' Peter asked, he'd always been curious of what really went on with her, Paul and Liam.

'I don't think you can ever really determine that. I just think your life goes on for a very long time, you never know if you'll meet someone who you love more than the person you believed was the 'love of your life'. For instance, I believed he was, until me and Liam happened. I'd say up until now, Liam is still the love of my life, but I may meet someone else, and they could take that place. Ask me in 40 years time when I've lived through all me relationships' she laughed, playing with the arm of Peter's T-shirt.

'You're very right' he said, looking into her eyes, preparing to ask his next question. 'So then, do you think you'll ever have kids?'

'Maybe. If I met the right person who I think would be good with kids n'all. I'd have kids with someone like you for instance, you're a brilliant Dad to Si'

'Thankyou. He's a great kid'

'Do you think you'll ever have more?'

'Oh definitely, if I ever find me Nemo' he chuckled

'You will' she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. 'Let's do something with Si tomorrow'

'Oh yeah, like what?'

'I don't know, bowling maybe? Been a long time since I went bowling ya'know'

'Yeah, he'd love that. Though, are you sure bowling's something you want to do?'

'Yes! Why wouldn't it be?' she laughed

'Well, I didn't think you'd be seen dead in public without your heels on'

'It's alright, I'll still be taller than you' she smirked

'Right then, you guys can go without me' he joked, mocking annoyance.

'Don't be like that' she said, pouting.

'Nope'

'Come on' she laughed, moving her mouth up to his ear and biting down on his earlobe, causing him to squirm.

'Get off' he laughed, moving his head away, 'Of course I'll come. As if I'd pass off on the opportunity to see Carla Connor bowling'

'Good, 'cause I'll win n'all'

'I very much doubt it. Bowling is one of my _many_ specialties'

'Right that's it, let's go to bed before your ego gets any bigger' She giggled, pulling his arm 'Separately..' she added, seeing the grin on Peter's face

'Oh what a shame, I thought that kissing game might've put you in the mood'

'I'll need a few more bacon butties first' She teased, pulling him into the bedroom by his hand, 'Right now though, it's still the camp bed for you Barlow'


	9. Chapter 9

'Whoever designed these ought to be ashamed' Carla said, disgust lining her voice as she looked down at the shoes she'd been provided with

'Well I'm sure you won't be saying that when you're walking out of here safely without any broken bones' Peter chuckled. Trust Carla to come to a bowling alley and complain about the shoes

'It wouldn't have hurt 'em to make them a least a little stylish though'

'Car, you don't like any shoes unless they're 5 inches high anyway'

'That is not true!' She laughed, swatting his arm

'Come on guys!' Simon said, grabbing hold of Carla and Peter's hands and dragging them towards the gaming area.

'Right then, choose your ball' Peter smiled, nodding his head towards the rack of different sized bowling balls

'I want the blue one!' Simon beamed, picking up the smallest sized blue one, eager to begin the game. He went for the same one last time when he came with his dad and Amy and Steve

'Right well I'm having this one' Peter said, picking up one of the largest balls 'Carla, which one do you want out of them lot?' He asked, gesturing towards the middle row

'Well why can't I have one of those ones?' She pondered, looking over at the row Peter had taken his from

'Well because they're the larger ones'

'And what? I can't handle it?' She laughed, biting down on her lip

'I'm not saying that' he chuckled

'Well, I will have one of these ones actually' Carla smiled smugly, walking over to the largest ones and picking one up 'or maybe I'll just stick to the medium ones' she smiled, trying to hide the struggle in her voice when holding it, before quickly placing it down again

'Oh, too heavy for you?' Peter teased

'No! I just wanted a pink one, that's all' She quipped, selecting the pink one from the medium row, determined not to give him any satisfaction whatsoever

'Oh, there's a larger pink one on the bottom row there' he grinned, revelling in winding her up

'I'm okay thanks' she grinned back, he was far too smug for his own good sometimes

'Surprised you picked any to be honest, wouldn't have thought they were stylish enough for you' he pressed on, teasing her was just too enjoyable 'With your expectations I thought you might want a crystal encrusted one or one smothered in glitter..or..'

'Ya'know, these medium ones are a bit heavy actually.. I do hope I don't end up dropping it on your foot or 'owt' she smiled 'Though I'm sure you're lovely shoes would protect you if that were to happen anyway'

After entering the names on the score board, the game was finally in motion.

'Your turn Carla' Simon said, running back to his seat after getting a strike

'D'ya know what, I'm just going to save meself the embarrassment and boost your ego even more but you're going to have to help me Barlow' she sighed, pulling Peter up by his hand 'I told you it'd been a long time since I last went bowling'

'Yeah, It wasn't hard to notice that anyway' he chuckled 'Right, stand here' he directed, putting both his hands on her hips and guiding her to the spot 'Now put one foot in front of the other, and when you throw it just lower yourself down a little' he guided her through as she followed all of his steps 'that's it, now let go' he explained as she released the ball, knocking down the majority of the pins. 'Not too bad' he grinned, waiting with her whilst she done her second bowl of her turn, knocking down the rest of the standing pins 'there you are, true pro'

After a while, the game had come to an end. Carla was at the bottom of the leader board with Simon placing second and Peter first, much to Carla's disappointment

'I did tell you bowling was one of my specialities'

'Yeah well, Kissing's mine as I proved last night' she smirked

'Dad the food's here!' Simon smiled as he saw the man approaching their table

'Thankyou' Peter said, before pulling his phone out of his pocket 'Erm, you wouldn't mind taking a quick picture of us would you?' He asked the waiter, handing him his phone

'A picture? Peter I look awful' she sighed, trying to sort her hair out the best she could in an attempt to make it look any better

'Don't be silly, now smile!' He beamed, putting his arm round Carla's waist as she did the same to Simon who was sitting next to her.

'What a beautiful little family you are' the waiter grinned, handing Peter back the phone

'Oh we're not..'

'Thankyou very much' Carla interrupted, as Peter smiled, taking the phone back and looking at the picture. 'It were just easier to except the compliment than to try and explain this dis-functional set up' she laughed 'Trust you to want a picture on the day I'm looking my worst'

'Carla, you looking your worst is still you looking beautiful' he smiled, feeding her a fry. 'Lucky you've managed to avoid Grandma's cooking 'aye son' he chuckled referring to the fact that Simon was staying with them tonight

'I like her cooking!' Simon exclaimed

'No, you've just become immune to it' Carla said, both her and Peter laughing

'You should come round there for dinner again soon Carla, I liked you being there'

'Well thanks Si, I liked being there too' she smiled sweetly at the little boy who'd become so fond of her

'Thanks for having him guys, see you tomorrow' Peter called as he closed the door to number 1 behind him and went to join Carla in the rovers

'Hey' he smiled, approaching Carla at her place at the bar

'Everything go ok with Si?' She asked, placing his drink Infront of him

'Yeah he told me to tell you that you've got to look after me'

'Oh I see. You can definitely tell who's the adult in your relationship then' she chuckled 'he's more grown up than the pair of us put together'

'Tell me about it, he actually called me Peter the other day whilst telling me off for doing his shoes up all wrong'

'Well, you should have expected nothing less! how could you do that to him?' Carla smirked 'He's going to be a right charmer when he's older though'

'Just like his dad aye'' Peter chuckled. Carla's smile faded slightly though apon seeing Leanne and Nick enter the pub. She'd not actually spoken to Leanne since she'd temporarily moved in with Peter and Simon. After growing closer to Peter, she didn't want to betray him in anyway by talking to the woman who'd ruined his life after she'd been there supporting him through the past few weeks. Besides, she was completely on Peter's side after finding out the full extent of what'd happened and had no interest in jeopardising the bond she'd formed with him even if Leanne had been her friend for longer.

'Why don't we just have a drink back at home 'aye?'

'No, it's alright. I'm going to have to face her anyway, may as well get used to it' Peter hadn't seen Leanne since the night that the affair was revealed and had dreaded this moment ever since. Though, it wasn't anything like he'd thought, he thought that by seeing her all his old feelings would unravel again and it'd just bring up a whole load of emotions. But instead, he felt nothing. He had Carla by his side and his life had been so much happier since she'd entered it, it was almost like he wasn't living when he was with Leanne, he was surviving.

'Well, if you do then just let me know okay?' she offered him a reassuring smile, rubbing the top of his arm

'Aw, well isn't this cosy?' Leanne stated when she reached the bar, causing both Carla and Peter to look at her as Nick bowed his head

'I'm sorry, what?' Carla laughed, amused at Leanne's boldness

'Well, my best mate through everything, the woman I've supported and listened to, drops me like a penny when I need her most. Not only that though, she's gone the extra mile and jumped straight into bed with my ex'

'Ex being the operative word. And for your information, there's nothing going on between me and Peter, but even if there was it'd have nothing to do with you' Carla shot back

'Oh and you expect me to believe that?'

'I don't expect anything from you however I do think you're hardly in a position to sit there and brand me a liar. I mean, why did Peter become your Ex again Leanne?'

'And who was the one who sat there and listened to me open up about it all and how bad I felt once everything had came out? You were. Then you used that to pounce on him and home In on him whilst he was at his most vulnerable'

'Whilst I was at my most vulnerable? Don't kid yourself Leanne, anyway you were the one who sent her round in the first place because you were too much of a coward to come round yourself' One thing Peter had wanted to avoid was a confrontation but the last thing he'd expected was that it'd be Leanne to start it. He knew that he may as well get his point across in the moment, then it'd well and truly be done with and he could fully move on

'Well the last thing I expected was that she'd force herself into your life and chose her next victim. I think the term for people like you Peter, is hypocrite. I've been treated like a villain ever since what happened, yet here you are showing off your new trophy and everyone's just accepting it' Leanne argued back, whilst Nick stood quiet, He knew he was hardly in a position to say anything

'What do you mean I 'chose my next victim'?' Carla chuckled, mentally preparing herself to hear the usual insults all most everyone used against her

'Oh come on Carla. You're like Black Death, it won't be long before Peter's 6 foot under n'all' Carla glared at her, she never let comments like that get to her but she couldn't believe Leanne of all people would go so low after she'd helped her through it all and been a shoulder to cry on

'One of which died because of you if you remember rightly. Clearly don't learn from your mistakes do you?' she quipped back

'Well this time round I needed to get my pleasure from somewhere didn't I? I'm sure you'll know he's not that satisfactory in the bedroom department considering you've had him n'all' Leanne blabbered out, causing Peter to just laugh. She knew she was in the wrong but she felt betrayed by Carla and annoyed at the fact that she was being frowned apon for hurting Peter, yet he was allowed to be in a new relationship without any worries. She hadn't intended to be so harsh but she was sick of being treated like the villain.

'Well what with your history you've got a lot of men to compare him to haven't ya' Carla replied, she wasn't prepared to sit here and listen to Leanne slag Peter off when it was her in the wrong

'Step too far don't you think Carla?' Nick finally piped up from his place of the bar

'Oh he does speak! I'm sorry, that's too far of me yet her bringing up my dead husband isn't?'

'She's upset which I think Is understandable given the circumstances. You're hardly one to criticise her about affairs yourself'

'Difference was, I learnt from my mistake and I apologised for it, she's just sitting there bold as brass as if Peter's in the wrong for living his life after the pair of you destroyed it' Carla chuckled at the irony of the situation, eager to just leave now

Peter looked over at Nick 'I don't think you're in any position to sit here undermining Carla after you teared a family apart, destroyed a little boys life'

'You mean like Carla did? She moved onto her dead husband's married brother, straight after his baby had just died. Congratulations Peter, you're sleeping with weatherfield's finest home wrecker'

'Well, it's better than weatherfield's local prostitute' Peter shot back with rage

'What did you just call her?' Nick asked defensively, slowly walking towards Peter

'Sorry, I don't know her street name' Peter replied as Nick swung his fist round, smacking Peter straight in the face causing him to stumble back a little

Nick stood looking at him, shocked at how angry he'd just gotten himself

'Peter are you alright?!' Carla gasped, jumping up from her stool at the bar

'I will be once I've smashed his face in' he answered with rage, launching himself towards Nick before being stopped by Carla

'Peter, NO. Come here' Carla pleaded, placing her hand on the side of Peter's face and forcing him to look at her 'Think of Simon okay, please let's just go yeah?' she said, grabbing her bag off the bar as Peter nodded slightly

'This isn't the end of it!' Peter warned Nick before following Carla's lead

'That's it, go back home with your Girlfriend and play the victims as always' Nick shouted back as Carla and Peter left the now silent pub

Peter stood topless after taking his bloodied t-shirt off as Carla placed the bowl of warm water down on the kitchen side, grabbing some cotton wool and dipping it in, before dabbing the blooded area on Peter's lip causing him to hiss slightly at the sudden contact

'You should've let me hit him back'

'He wasn't worth it. I know the damage you could've done and I wasn't prepared to have you get in trouble when you have Si to think about' she explained, dabbing his lip gently

'Well Thankyou for stopping me.. Please don't take any notice of anything they said, I'm sorry you had to get dragged into that'

'Oh Peter, It's nothing I've not heard before, I'm fine'

'Well either way I've come out on top because I get to go home with you every night' he smiled down at her, tucking a loose stand of hair behind her ear as she continued to clean up his split lip

'Some would call that a nightmare' she chuckled

'And I call it a dream' he replied, feeling a little embarrassed at what he'd just said but he really was grateful for having a friend like her

'Don't you take any notice of her either.. Especially the bedroom thing, I know how pride denting that can be to a male. And I know I'm in no place to stick up for you on experience terms but I have my secret thoughts and opinions on the matter' she smiled, biting down on her lip

'Yeah?' He grinned cheekily 'and what would those secret thoughts and opinions be then?' He prodded

'Well they wouldn't be secrets if I told you would they? I'm sure you can hazard a good guess though Barlow' she teased, continuing to busy herself clearing up his lip

'Well, well, well if my ego wasn't big before it certainly is now'

She shook her head in response 'Oh great. Keep on feeding your ego lately don't I?'

'You just talking to me is an ego boost in itself' he laughed

'Well now you're boosting mine! But I just want to say Thankyou for sticking up for me back there too, it does mean a lot'

'As If any decent person would just stand by and let you get spoken to like that' he replied, it made him so angry that Carla had been dragged into it all and had to suffer a barrage of abuse when she'd done nothing other than be a friend to him. 'Thankyou for standing up for me, you got dragged into this whole mess because of me'

'No, I didn't get dragged into it, I willingly made myself a part of it because I care about you, a lot'

'Really?' he answered

'I don't just sit and nurse anyone ya'know' she laughed, dabbing the cut that had formed on his lip one final time 'there you are'

'Thankyou but I think you need to kiss it better for it to fully heal' he spoke gently, a cheeky smile on his face

'Oh really? And what's in it for me?' she chuckled, she enjoyed their flirtatious relationship and the fact they could go from being deadly serious to joking around within seconds

'You get to remind me of your amazing speciality' he said, his cheeky smile forming into a grin

She placed her hands on both of his shoulders 'Well I suppose if you've forgotten then you need to be reminded.. And if it'll help your lip heal better..' she spoke gently, her words getting quieter as she said them until she had leaned in fully and placed a tender peck on his lips as she had initiated.

Once she'd placed the single kiss, she looked straight up into his eyes, neither of their bodies breaking apart or leaning outwards, only a breath of space remaining between them. She could feel the heat emitting off his naked torso and she absentmindedly and gently began rubbing the pads of her thumb in a stroking motion on each of his shoulders. He looked her face up and down, taking in all her features, his gaze dropping from her eyes to the soft swell of her mouth. Placing his hands on her hips, something drew them both in closer as they leant in once more. His lips brushed hers gently and lingered until her mouth parted slightly beneath his kiss. The speed of the kiss increased slightly with the first tentative caress of their tongues dancing lightly with one another's, taking in each other's sensations. After a few seconds, the kiss came to a gentle end as Carla sucked down on Peter's swollen lip, pulling her mouth away. 'Better?' she asked gently, a little mesmerised by what had just happened.

'Can't feel a thing' he replied, looking down into her eyes, their contact still unbroken.

'Do you think you'll be forgetting that one anytime soon?' She smiled, biting down on the corner of her lip

'For some reason, I don't think so' he chuckled 'I can now confirm it's definitely one of your specialities'

'After that I think it can become one of yours n'all' she teased, finally breaking contact with him as she released his shoulders from her grip

'Was it me or did that feel..I don't know..'

'Weird?' Carla laughed, leaning back on the kitchen side

'Yeah..I mean it was nice feeling but it felt wrong at the same time..'

'It just felt like it shouldn't've happened' she chuckled, confused by what exactly had just went on, though she couldn't deny the fact that she was grateful he'd found it just as wrong

'I think our minds were just curious.. If you get what I mean'

'I think you're right, we were just drawn in by the moment. I think we just need to forget that it happened because it's not actually had an affect on us has it? I mean I'm not affected by it but if you are please do say..' She didn't want what had just happened to ruin their friendship or for it to make things awkward between them. She didn't feel any different about him now than she did 10 minutes ago and she was more than happy to continue on as normal providing he was as well..

'I can't forget it ever happened, that's how it happened in the first place' he winked 'but no it hasn't affected me in any way that we should worry about' he said honestly, he too didn't feel any different about Carla since the kiss had happened and wasn't prepared for it to ruin the friendship they had when it meant nothing to both of them 'let's just call it a bit of harmless fun'

'Come 'ere' she put her arms out, pulling him into a friendly embrace 'seriously though, put some clothes on before our minds become even more curious' she teased 'and mr, you need to go and get some milk from Dev's quick'

'Yes mam' he chuckled

'One pint of milk' he said placing it down on the side, and one box of chocolates for one Mrs Connor'

'Ohh and what are they for?'

'Just for I don't know..being you' he said causing Carla to smile

...

'Right here you go' she smiled handing him his mug of hot chocolate 'we can open those chocolates now, 'cause you're going to have to share 'em with me'. He chuckled as she sat down on the sofa next to him, curling into his side and opening the chocolates 'Tuck in' she laughed, placing the box in the middle of them.

'What's your favourite?'

'Hmm Caramel or truffle. Yours?'

'Ohh I do like a fruit cream' he chuckled

'Eugh, you're in luck then' she said with disgust as she took a bite out of a fruit cream 'here you are' she laughed placing the other half of it in his mouth. 'They're the worst of the lot!..What kind of box of chocolates doesn't come with the sheet telling you which chocolate's which on it?!'

'Well, Life is like a box of chocolates..You never know..' Peter begun his best Forest Gump Impression

'Oh Kill me now' she interrupted as they both chuckled

'Truffle' he said, placing it in her mouth after taking a bite of it himself

'Tell you what, life really doesn't get any better than this' she laughed, laying her head on Peter's shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

'Here you go' Michelle smiled, entering the office and placing the coffee down in front of Carla

'Oh, Thankyou! I can't explain how much I need this right now' Carla replied, taking a sip of the hot drink and relaxing back into her chair

'Don't thank me, It were Peter who payed for it' Michelle said smirking a little

'What's that face for?' Carla questioned, noticing the smile plastered across Michelle's face

'Well..I come back to find you're living with the man, and even before I went you's were pretty close'

'I'm not living with him, I'm staying with him because _someone_ wasn't here when I was looking for a place to stay'

'Well, I'm back now.. So you can come and stay with me' Michelle grinned, she knew Carla wouldn't accept the offer which would just back her point up even more

'Yeah, I did notice. I'm alright now though, Peter's said he likes having me around.. _as a mate_ and I enjoy staying with him and Si'

'And mates is all it is, is it? No little moments or owt like that..' Michelle goaded, noticing the little smirk forming on Carla's face as she fiddled with the cup in her hand 'I knew it! Go on then, spill' She sat up, bringing herself forwards more

'I wouldn't call it a 'moment', It were just a little meaningless kiss' Carla explained, the uncontrollable smile not leaving her face

'Carla! I'd class that as a moment'

'Alright then, it were a moment. A moment of flamin' madness. It wasn't a kiss between two people who were attracted to eachother though, it were just a kiss between friends' Carla replied, she knew that what she was saying wouldn't make sense to anyone other than her and Peter

'Well, I don't go snogging the faces off my friends' Michelle quipped

'It'd happened after I'd be cleaning him up from a run-in with Nick. Honestly, you wouldn't understand it unless you were us, we just have this banter and it was just a harmless kiss. We spoke about it after and we both agree, we don't feel anything stronger than friendship towards the other. We're both just flirtatious people'

'So, you're telling me you would say no to say, sleeping with him?'

Carla chuckled at Michelle's question 'Well, there's no denying he's an attractive guy, but just because I'd not say no to sleeping with him it doesn't mean I want to be with him'

'You may as well just say you're friends with benefits!' Michelle laughed, she still didn't believe what Carla was saying but she knew Carla was far too stubborn to try and argue with

'If you want to think that, then think that. But there's not going to be anymore 'benefits' happening. He's like my gay bestfriend'

'Accept he's not gay and you want to sleep with him'

'No I don't!' Carla laughed, shaking her head 'I just wouldn't say no.. Like any other woman on this street'

'Every other woman on this street hasn't got the opportunity to, you have. Besides, I'd say no'

'Michelle Connor, you've been there and done that so don't even bother lying' Carla smirked, referring back to the small relationship Michelle had shared with Peter years back

'Yeah, well I wouldn't now. Only 'cause he's yours though and you're me best mate. Can't go forgetting the girl code'

'He's not mine, and if you carry on the way you are, you being my bestfriend could become debatable' Carla laughed, pulling herself back towards the desk and continuing with her paperwork

'What, so you're not even going to ask me what he's like in bed then? Or do you already know the answer to that one?..' Michelle continued on as Carla just smirked and shook her head, choosing to ignore her bestfriends comments

* * *

Carla entered the flat, slinging her bag and coat down on the chair before placing her keys on the table 'You alright?' Peter asked from the kitchen where he was drying the dishes, noticing that Carla didn't seem too happy

'Fine. Just a bad day at work' Carla sighed, running her hands through her hair as she dropped down onto the sofa

'Do you want to talk about it?' Peter placed the tea towel and mug down on the side, walking over to where Carla was sat, taking a seat next to her

'Not really. Just lost an order with one of me biggest clients that's all to say really'

'Well, you run a popular little business over there, I'm sure you'll have tons of other orders coming through soon'

'He were me main client and he's took his business elsewhere, I don't care about orders that'll come through soon, I care about orders that I've lost now. Eugh Peter, I don't expect you to understand' Carla shot back, annoyance in her tone

'Well maybe I don't but I'm trying to..' Peter replied softly, he knew Carla had just had a stressful day so he wasn't bothered by her tone

'Oh Peter, I'm sorry. I don't want to take this out on you, I think I'm just going to book meself into a hotel for the night'

'No you are not missus. We're not going to talk anymore about it, I promise' Peter smiled

'Yeah but I don't want to be snapping at you all evening, it's not fair' She sighed, the last thing she wanted was to end up treating Peter like rubbish

'Well, we'll just have a relaxing evening. We don't even have to utter a word If you don't want, but either way I'd much rather have you snapping at me than you sitting alone in a hotel room'

'I'm so lucky to have you' Carla managed to smile properly for the first time that day

'I could say the same. Now, I'm going to get us a bottle of wine and an Indian, my treat'

* * *

'Here you are' He smiled, placing the plate down on her lap at her place on the sofa

'Are we not eating at the table?' Carla questioned

'I told you, we're having a relaxing evening' She grinned at Peter's efforts, he'd managed to make her feel better already 'And here is your glass of wine'

'I could do with that being bucket sized to be honest with ya'

'I'm not that rich unfortunately' he laughed, sitting down next to her with his meal

'I thought you'd be well loaded Gordon' She smirked

'Ahh Gordon's having a rest for the night, hence the takeaway'

'Ohh shame. Well, I'm sure I can make put with Barlow for one night' she sighed, making Peter laugh

'Didn't take you long to start offending me, did it' he said, nudging her with his elbow causing her to let out another smile

'What one did you get?' She asked, looking down at his curry

'Oh, I don't remember the name of it. It's quite hot though, want to try a bit?'

'Go for it' she replied as he fed her a forkful of his meal, laughing as her mouth dropped open

'My god that's hot' she exclaimed, taking a gulp from her glass of wine in order to try and cool her mouth down

'Not the only thing' he winked as Carla narrowed her eyes towards him with a smile on her face

'Do you not want to try some of mine?' She asked pouting slightly

'I've already tried that one before'

'Yeah, I know. But I want to feed you some' she laughed, bringing the fork up to his mouth and feeding him

* * *

'Peter, before you get in the bath, have we..' Carla stopped mid sentence as she walked into the bathroom, looking down at the bath full of bubbles, candles littered across the room and Lana Del Rey playing quietly from the radio placed on the toilet seat 'I knew you had a feminine side' she laughed slightly, aware that he'd done it for her

'Think we established that when I allowed you to put lipstick on me' he chuckled, turning the hot tap off and testing the water to see if it was the right temperature 'It's all yours' he smiled, walking towards her

'Peter, it looks amazing. Thankyou' she grinned, grabbing his face and placing a kiss on his cheek

'Good. Enjoy it' he replied, turning to leave

'Oh, not going to join me?' she teased as he stopped in the doorway

'Nah, much to small in there for that. Let me know if you want your back washed though' he grinned cheekily, leaving her to it

* * *

'That was the best bath I've ever had' she let out a sigh of content as she entered the living room in Peter's grey dressing gown that he'd given to her a while back

'I'm glad you enjoyed it, now take a seat because pudding is served' he said, placing a plate with a slice of cheesecake on it on the coffee table

'You got my favourite one' she smiled, sinking down into the sofa

'Yeah, I popped into Fresco's on the way back'

'All these little things that you've done have really cheered me up tonight Peter. I don't deserve you'

'You more than deserve me. Trust me, it doesn't take much to buy some ready made food and run a bath' he chuckled, tucking in

'Your problem is that you don't know how amazing you are'

'Looks like we have something else in common then.. Anyway, when you care about someone a lot, you do your best to try and make them happy. You do it for me n'all'

'I do?' She questioned, surprised at his comment. After all the little gestures and efforts he'd made for her, she couldn't remember doing anything of the sort for him

'Yeah. You helped me so much when all the stuff happened with Leanne, And you helped Simon as well. You stayed when I asked you to instead of going to Michelle's too. You were just there for me at one of my lowest points and I'll never stop being grateful for that. In comparison to what you've done for me, this is nothing' He replied honestly, after getting to know her over the past few weeks he'd managed to realise just how special Carla was

* * *

'Did Michelle have a good time at her parents?' Peter asked, they'd finished their desserts and were now sat cuddled up on the sofa watching TV

'You can never have a good time when you go to visit her parents' she laughed, remembering her many trips to Ireland

'Are they really that bad?'

'Not to their kids, no. Only to the outsiders that don't live up the their standards who dare to date their children'

'I struggle to understand how you couldn't live up to anyone's standards..' he said bemusedly 'You're top of the league in my eyes, and my family's' He honestly didn't see how someone as perfect as Carla, could be deemed as 'not good enough'

'That's very lovely of you to say Peter, But in their eyes, anyone who lived on a council estate was classed as bottom of the league' Carla wasn't ashamed of where she was from. Admittedly, she didn't like the estate she'd grown up on, nor did she enjoy her upbringing. However, she was proud to say she'd lived on an estate. Though she was even more proud to prove those judgemental types wrong, all the people who used to say to her 'everyone who grew up on a council estate would grow up to be a druggie or a prostitute' or just anything associated with the criminal world. And here she was today, running her own successful business, doing better than the majority of them

'Anyone who judges others like that, should be considered bottom of the league' Peter shook his head, amazed that Carla was looked down upon because of where she was from 'Their son slept with prostitutes so their hardly ones to judge... Sorry' Peter quickly apologised, realising that probably wasn't the best thing to have said even if he did think it true

'No, please don't apologise. You're completely right, thank you' she looked up at him, giving him a smile before burying her head into his neck

'Put your head on me lap, I'll give you a head massage' he chuckled, sitting up.

'This is much better than any 5* hotel I'd have booked' she laughed as she did as he instructed and led across the sofa, her head relaxing into his lap as he began to slowly massage her head, running his fingers through her hair gently. He smiled down at her relaxed form, her eyes closed as he continued to pleasure her with his motions. Eventually after five minutes of massaging her, he looked down again to see that she'd fallen asleep. He slowly manoeuvred himself up, placing her head flat down on the sofa. 'Carla' he said, giving her a gentle shake 'Carla, let me take you into bed' he spoke as she opened her eyes slightly, sitting herself up and taking his hand. 'There you go' he smiled, leading her into the double bed, and placing the covers over her.

She grabbed his arm as he went to walk away 'Peter, stay with me?'

'I am love, I'm just going to be over there' he gestured his head towards the camp bed set up by the window

'No, I mean get in the bed. Just hold me please?'

'Are you sure?' he asked, as she gave him a gentle nod and pulled the covers over, allowing him to get in. Once he'd got comfortable, he pulled her in towards him, putting both his arms around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

'Peter?'

'Yeah?'

'Do you want to go to Blackpool for the day? With Simon as well, obviously' she asked. She wanted to be the one to treat him instead, to show her appreciation for all the things he'd done for her and although Blackpool wasn't a luxurious place, she knew it'd be somewhere in which the three of them would all have a good time

'You don't even have to ask' he smiled, placing a kiss on the top of her head 'Night Carla'


	11. Chapter 11

'And this, is our home for the night!' Carla chirped, getting out of the car as they pulled up outside a small hotel she'd booked for the trip to Blackpool 'All the 5* ones were booked up, so I settled for 4'

'That must've been so painful for you, I do hope you'll recover' Peter teased, grabbing their bags out of the boot

'Oh har har' Carla replied, walking into the hotel and making her way to the reception desk, Peter and Simon close behind her

'Hello! Are you here to book in?' the receptionist asked, averting her eyes from the computer screen to greet them

'We are, the room's under Carla Connor'

'Oh yes, the family suite' the receptionist replied, typing away at her computer before reaching under the desk 'Here are your room keys, You're in room 24, on floor 2. Any extra charges from the room will be added to your bill at the end of your stay. Have a lovely night!' she grinned, handing Carla the keys

'Thankyou' Carla returned the smile, before following Peter and Simon into the lift

'Room 24!' Simon shouted out as he found their room, opening it with the keys Carla had given to him

'One thing!' Carla said, stopping in the door frame, blocking Peter's access into the room 'You and Simon will have to share the double. The only family room left had 1 double bed, 1 single..'

'That's fine' he shrugged, following Carla through to the room and placing the bags down

'Dad, there's a balcony!' Simon beamed, opening the double doors and stepping out into the cold air

'Be careful out there son' Peter called out, perching himself on the edge of the bed as Carla joined him and they took in the surroundings of the room

'Oh very cosy'

'Carla, we shared a bed the other night, I'm sure we're capable of doing it again without our hands wandering ya'know' he laughed, nudging her slightly with his elbow

'Mmm, but Simon wasn't in the room that night. I don't want to confuse the poor boy any more than we are already with this little arrangement of ours'

'I think he'll find it more confusing that he's sleeping in a double bed with his dad whilst you're over in the single. Anyway, we had a nice little cuddle the other night' he whispered, a cheeky grin forming on his face; a face that Carla was all too familiar with now

'So long as cuddling's the furthest it goes' she narrowed her eyes before an uncontrollable smile fell upon her face 'Come on then Simon, what do you want to do?'

Simon re-entered the room, pondering Carla's question a little bit before coming up with a suggestion 'Can we go to the funfair? Amy went to one the last time she came with Aunty Tracy and Steve, it sounded so cool!'

'Course we can' Carla replied, this whole trip was really about treating Simon so she was up for doing anything he wanted to do 'Yeah Peter?'

'Alright..I've got to tell ya though, rides aren't my strong point' he warned, his stomach already churning at the thought

'Last time when we went with Leanne, she tried to drag him on them all but he didn't go on any' Simon explained, shaking his head as he remembered their last trip to a theme park as a family

'Really?! What are you, a man or a mouse?' Carla chuckled, quickly trying to dismiss the Leanne mention. The last thing she wanted was Peter being reminded of his memories with Leanne when he should be enjoying himself

'I'm all man.. you know that' he replied, throwing a wink in Carla's direction

* * *

'Wow, look at that one!' Simon exclaimed, pointing towards the biggest ride at the fair

'Oh, that one looks great fun, doesn't it Peter?' she teased, turning back to look at Peter who was dawdling behind

'Yeah, looks fantastic' he muttered, his nerves kicking in now that they were actually there

Carla soon noticed his sudden quietness and linked her arm with his, 'Are you really that bad with rides?' she asked, slightly worried that maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all

'I'm not terrified of them, I'm just not very fond either' he replied

'Nothing'll happen you know, I promise. And if you don't want to go on them, you don't have to'

'Oh no, I won't let it get in the way of our day out! Come on, what one first Si?' he smiled, slinging his arm over the young boys shoulder. After all the travelling and effort Carla had gone through, he wasn't going to let something so stupid get in the way of them having a good time

'Let's go on a small one first Dad to get you used to them' he suggested, making his way over to one of the smaller rides in the park, despite it still being rather big for Peter's liking. Peter stopped at the bottom of the metal stairs leading up to the ride, taking in how it all worked and mentally preparing himself for what was ahead

'You ready?' Carla asked, letting her hand slip into Peter's

'Mhm' he smiled, walking up the stairs with her, their hands not breaking apart

* * *

It had been a couple of hours since they'd arrived, and they'd managed to go on every ride in the park. After Peter'd went on the smaller rides there, he'd soon gained his confidence to go on the big ones too and any fears he'd had at first had soon vanished and been replaced by the adrenaline rush of it all

'Dad, can we play hook the duck?' Simon beamed as they made their way round the many games stools scattered across the place

'Come on then' Peter chuckled, 'You having a go Carla?'

'Oh, why not' she smirked, taking the rod he was offering her as he handed over the money to the man running the stool

'Right guys, if you get a duck with a blue sticker on the bottom, you get one of the small prizes, red's medium and green's large' the stool owner explained, as they all began to try and hook a duck

'I got one!' Carla grinned, lifting her duck in the air

'You got a red one me lovely, so you win a lolly' he smiled, handing her the jar to pick one

'Wow. That's one of the only things I've ever won, and all I've got to show for it is a flamin' lolly' she rolled her eyes, unsatisfied with her prize

'You got a green one sir!' the man grinned, looking down at Simon 'You get to pick any one of the teddies hanging on the roof'

'I'll have this one please' Simon exclaimed, pointing to the giant Tigger, smiling triumphantly when the man handed him it

'And last of all, yours is a blue one so any of the prizes displayed around the centre' the man spoke as he unhooked Peter's duck

'Pick one then Carla, come on' he smiled, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him

'Aw I'll have the giraffe please' she grinned as the man handed it to her

'You a little more satisfied with your prize now maddam' Peter laughed as they walked away, his arm round Carla's waist

'I always was! Our Ryan did used to have one like this when he was younger though' she smiled remembering how fond he used to be of that teddy

'Aw, You have to call him Peter though'

'Oh alright. And I promise to take him to bed with me every night, thankyou' she smiled, kissing him on the cheek

'Ohh he's a very lucky fella. You could always just take this Peter to bed with you instead though' he winked

'mmm, I'll bare that one in mind' she bit down on her lip, enjoying their flirtatious banter 'Right Si, Icecream time!' she grinned, opening the door to the icecream parlour as Simon slid through, keeping a firm grip on his prize

'That teddy's almost the size of him' Peter laughed, watching his son struggling to carry the oversized tigger

'Bless him' Carla chuckled 'They're quite big sundaes in here Peter, do you want to just share one together?'

'Ohh, sharing a flat and a bed, now an icecream. Are you sure this isn't moving too fast?' he joked

'You might be right, maybe we ought to slow things down' she laughed, playing along with his banter as they took their seat at a near by table

'What do you want then Si?' Peter asked, scanning the menu

'The double chocolate sundae sounds really yummy' he replied, a smile glued to his face

'Mmm it does. I don't really want anything with nuts Carla, I'm not too keen on them'

'Aw, I love 'em!'

'I bet you do' he smirked as she narrowed her eyes towards him, shaking her head at his comment

'Right then, nothing with nuts!' she laughed

* * *

Both sundaes had now arrived at the table and they had all began to enjoy them; Simon especially, 'Thankyou for today, I had soo much fun!' he beamed, looking up as Carla laughed at the amount of chocolate he'd gotten on his face 'I can't wait to tell Amy all about it'

'Well, it's Carla we've got to thank, it was her idea' Peter replied

'It was my pleasure! What with everything my favourite two people have done for me, you deserved a treat' she smiled

'Are you guys sleeping in the big bed together tonight?' Simon asked out of no where, locking his gaze on both Peter and Carla

'Erm, yeah we are son' Peter answered, waiting for Simon's response

'So are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?' he continued

'No, we're just close friends Simon' Carla answered this time before turning her body towards Peter, 'I told you it'd confuse him!'

'You're not confused, are you Si?' Peter pondered, wanting to make sure Simon understood fully

'No. Me and Amy sometimes have to sleep in the same bed but we don't love each other in that way' Simon explained, tucking back into his icecream and putting Carla's worries at ease

* * *

It was coming up to 9pm as they finished their dinner at the hotel's restaurant and began making their way up to their room

'We may as well just take the stairs' Peter said as they'd just missed the lift. After letting Simon go first, he moved aside for Carla 'You next madam' he grinned

'Oh no, I know your game'

'What games that then?' Peter replied, feigning shock

'The 'Oh you go first madam whilst I check out your ass as you make your way up' game' She laughed

'I'd never do such a thing! Jheeze, you try and be a gentleman around Carla Connor and ohh no, there's some ulterior motive behind it' he joked, the pair of them still standing at the bottom of the stairs

'You can go up first!' Carla grinned

'Nuh-uh, the game works both ways. Now you're just trying to find an excuse to check me out' he laughed

'No I'm not!' She shook her head in dis-belief, a grin still remaining on her face, 'Come on, we'll just go up together like we could've done in the first place if someone hadn't tried to be a perv' She said, taking Peter's arm as they walked the stairs together

* * *

Carla rolled over in the bed, looking at the clock on the bedside table; 2:37am. She was boiling, despite being dressed in nothing but some shorts and a vest top. She glanced over at Peter who was facing the other way, before pulling the cover back and climbing out of the bed they were sharing. She walked across the room, grabbing the shirt he'd left on the chair, and putting it on herself as she made her way over to the double doors and stepped out onto the balcony for some air

'Hey, you okay?' a voice came from behind her a couple of minutes later as Peter stepped out, wearing a dressing gown provided by the hotel

'Yeah, it's boiling in there. You're like a flamin' radiator in bed' she chuckled, leaning against the bars of the balcony

'Mmm, it's 'cause I'm in bed with you' he winked, leaning himself up against the bars as well

'Must say, you've done very well. I've not felt no mysterious objects digging into me' she smirked, looking out at the city lights as she spoke

'Why do you think I was facing the other way?' he teased 'No, I'm only messing with you, you're clearly just not attractive enough' he continued to joke with her; one thing their conversations never lacked was banter

'Or you're just not man enough' she goaded as the wind picked up and swept her hair off her face

'Trust me, I'm man enough. I'd be more than willing to prove it to you if you'd like' he grinned as she laughed at his boldness

'I'm alright Barlow, I believe ya' she smirked 'So come on then, I'm intrigued. What's your usual type in a woman?' She questioned, turning her body towards him a little more

'Well, going on my past partners, I seem to have gone for a lot of blondes, and I mean _a lot_ ' he chuckled 'I've not really gone for dark haired women'

'Except for Michelle' Carla added, still finding it weird trying to imagine her two bestfriends as a couple

'Yeah, I think she was the only one'

'Well, that receptionist downstairs is blonde, reckon she has the eye for you n'all, I've caught her staring a few times now as we've walked past' Carla smirked

'Oh no, not for me' he chuckled, remembering who Carla was referring to 'Maybe I should avert to dark haired women' he laughed, purposely looking at Carla in a suggestive way 'Seriously though, I think my bar's been set pretty high now that I've gotten closer to you'

'What d'ya mean?' she pondered, her full attention now on him

'Well, you're stunning. And I'm more than happy to admit that I'm attracted to you looks wise so if I don't meet someone who I think is equally as beautiful or near enough, I'll probably end up feeling disappointed' he shrugged, 'unless my connection with them was just off the scale' he reasoned, finally making eye contact with Carla

'Aw Peter, you are capable of being a gentleman!' she chuckled, 'You'll meet plenty of people better than me though, honestly, I'm not all that'

'Oh come on Carla, you're perfect'

'Perfect doesn't exist Peter' Carla replied, her voice almost a whisper

'Well, if it did, you'd be the prime example of it' he said, before feeling extremely embarrassed and shifting his gaze down towards the streets below them

'I feel like I'm in a movie' Carla laughed, genuinely flattered by what Peter had just said to her 'Thankyou, Peter' she smiled gently, reaching her hand out to stroke his forearm 'Peter, What would you honestly describe our relationship as?' she asked, breaking the silence as Peter thought about her question carefully

'I'd say we're like boyfriend and girlfriend, just without the love, the complications and the rewards' he chuckled, explaining it best he could

'And do you want those three things?' Carla smirked, intrugued at his explanation 'And no, this is not me asking you out' she quickly added

'Well unfortunately the love's not something that we can just request and it'll appear' he chuckled before continuing, 'The complications I definitely don't want, and the rewards, well who in their right mind would say no to them?' he laughed

'Fair enough. I think the bestfriend title is much easier to understand' she laughed as the wind continued to blow her hair 'It's a bit nippy out here now, do you want to go back in?'

'yeah, let's go' he smiled, following her in and closing the doors behind him as she removed his shirt and they got back into the bed, the both of them facing each other as the lights from outside shon on their faces

'Erm Peter, what's that sticking into my stomach?' Carla teased, referring to earlier

'Don't even joke about that or it'll end up happening for real' he laughed, pulling her body a little closer into him

'Would that be such a bad thing?' she bit down on her lip, enjoying teasing him 'Let's take a picture together'

'A picture?' he chuckled

'Yeah, it's what friends do Peter, keep up' she laughed, reaching over to the table and grabbing her phone

'It's pitch black Carla'

'Oh seriously grandad? They have invented a flash on camera phones now, believe it or not'

'You're so funny' Peter replied sarcastically as Carla held the phone above them

'And smile' she grinned, pressing the capture button and turning the phone to look at the result 'aw look at that, now we'll always remember the time we shared a bed together in Blackpool' she laughed, showing Peter the picture before placing it back on the bedside table. She moved her body back in towards his, raising her hand to his face and stroking his facial hair, her own face only inches away from his. They were so close now that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek. 'Thank you for everything you've said to me tonight, it means a lot' she smiled slightly, looking up into his eyes before her gaze slowly fell to his lips. Before he even had the chance to reply, or she even had time to think about what she was doing, she'd moved forwards and gently placed a peck to his lips. She re-opened her eyes as she pulled back, looking straight back into his. Something, she wasn't sure what, was drawing her in again though as she pressed her lips against his once more, this time slipping her tongue into his mouth as their kiss started to become more passionate. Underneath the covers, Peter's hand had slipped under her top a little and had began stroking the bare skin of her waist, his other hand resting against her face. Their kiss was still as tender as ever though, as their hands continued to roam one another's bodies under the covers; the bed now feeling even more hotter than it had done before. Peter rolled over slightly so that he was on top of Carla as their kisses continued to grow hungrier by the second. Suddenly though, Carla remembered exactly where she was and exactly _who_ was in the room. 'Peter stop..stop' she reluctantly requested inbetween their kisses until Peter finally pulled away, resting his forehead against hers as he caught his breath, his body still remaining on top of hers. 'Simon' she sighed, pulling her hands up so they were both resting on the sides of his face

'We're only kissing' he replied, placing another gentle peck to her lips 'as friends' he added, causing Carla to giggle beneath him

'What if he wakes up though?' she asked, looking towards the bed he was sleeping in

'He's not going to, if we're quiet' he grinned, gently biting down on her lower lip and sucking on it for a few second, eager to continue their kiss

'Well, considering it's only as friends..' she smirked, resuming their kiss before pulling back 'nothing further though' she warned as he gave a gentle nod of agreement and they resumed their 'friendly kiss'. After a couple more minutes though, Peter pulled back, rubbing his nose against hers and placing one last peck on her lips before collapsing down into his original place in the bed

After they'd both managed to regain their breath back he spoke up, 'little Peter was beginning to get a little bit too happy' he chuckled as Carla smiled, biting down on her lip

'mmm, I noticed' she laughed, rolling onto her side again and facing Peter 'I literally have no idea what just happened' she looked down, not able to remove the smile from her face

'Like we said, just a friendly kiss, no big deal' he chuckled, gently massaging her head with his hand

'What if Simon hadn't have been in the room though? aren't you a little worried about how far that could've gone just then?'

'I know we wouldn't have let it get that far, we're not stupid' he smiled, placing his forehead against hers

'Hmm, that kiss says otherwise about our stupidity. Anyway I don't think little Peter would agree with you on how far that could've gone just then' she laughed

'Don't know why we're calling him little Peter, should be big Peter to be honest' he winked as Carla shook her head in amusement 'Seriously though, little Peter has a mind of his own, I know what I'm doing. We don't have feelings for each other in that way, we both know I'm a little attracted to you sexually but that's normal for a lot of men to feel that way about woman in general, Especially woman who look like you. I'm sexually attracted to some women I see walking down the street though, so it doesn't mean anything'

'Yeah, but you're not in bed, half naked, making out with them women are you?' Carla laughed, 'Let's just blame it on the fact we've been deprived from kissing someone for so long, yeah?'

'Deal' he agreed

'And we must _never_ let it happen again' she warned

'Never again'

'Right now get some sleep Barlow, you n'all big Peter' she smirked, nestling her head into his chest 'Oh, and Peter?'

'Yeah?'

'That small amount of sexual attraction is mutual by the way' she smiled, biting down on her lip as Peter grinned down at her

'I know.. That was also one amazing kiss'

'Feeling's mutual on that too' she smirked

'I'll definitely be dreaming about you tonight' he teased, as his hand found hers under the covers, their fingers intertwining together

'Shut up Barlow'


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: You'll have to excuse any spelling errors or grammar mistakes, I'm having to type and upload it all from my phone which isn't the easiest process!**

Carla suddenly awoke to the sound of the front door shutting and could hear Peter creeping around in the living room. Pulling the covers off herself, she looked over at the alarm clock. 6am. She grabbed her dressing gown from the back of the door, slipped it on and walked out into the living room to see Peter sat on the couch. His head was leant against the back with his eyes closed. Carla smiled at the sight of him.

'Ugh, it should be illegal to be awake this early on a Sunday' she yawned, walking in to the living room and sitting herself down beside Peter, tucking her legs up onto the sofa underneath her

'Sorry Carla. I didn't mean to wake you' he replied, pulling Carla into his chest and wrapping his arm around her

'No it's fine. I must've missed your presence in bed' she smiled, nestling herself into Peter's arms 'Did Si get onto the ferry okay?' She asked. Simon was going to be away on a school trip for the next week, hence why Peter was up so early as he had to drop him off for the ferry

'Oh yeah, he was buzzing. Couldn't get rid of me quick enough' he chuckled, his eyes remaining shut with his head still rested against the back of the sofa

'Oh good. I hope he has the best time. It'll be weird without him around, I'll miss him' Carla sighed, looking over at the shelving unit in the corner of the room. On one of the shelves, sat a picture of her, Simon and Peter in Blackpool. All holding ice creams as they sat on the pier, smiles from ear to ear

'He'll miss you too. I'm on strict instructions that even if your flat gets fixed, you're not allowed to leave until he's back'

'Ohh, is that you threatening to keep me captive Barlow? I did wonder what them handcuffs in the bedroom were for' Carla joked, biting down on her tongue as she teased him

Peter let out a small chuckle 'them handcuffs are mild compared to what I keep in me wardrobe. You best be on your best behaviour Miss Connor. No leaving for you'

'Ooooh. Yes sir' Carla laughed, looking up at Peter 'come back to bed with me' she spoke softly, stroking the side of his face lightly with her finger

'Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't really got anything in my wardrobe.. other than a few belts' Peter laughed, opening his eyes to look down at Carla

'Not for that' Carla quipped, gently hitting his chest with the back of her hand. 'It's way too early for me, and now we're kiddy free, we should make the most of a lie in'

'Mmmm sounds good to me' he replied as Carla got up, grabbing his hand and leading him to the bedroom. He slipped off the jacket, shoes and jeans he'd put over a T- Shirt to take Si to the ferry in and slipped into the bed beside Carla

'I don't think we can ever let anyone know we now share a bed y'know.. that'll definitely get folk talking' Peter smiled as he made himself comfy

'The secret's safe with me' she smiled back, shuffling herself closer to Peter and laying her head down on his chest

* * *

'What are your plans for today Barlow?' Carla asked, biting down on her toast as Peter finished up making the coffees in the kitchen

'Nothing I don't think. I've got a date with the telly. Unless you've got a more tempting offer' he replied, walking the cups of coffee over to the table and sitting opposite Carla

'Well, I've been thinking and I've got a plan..' Carla grinned as Peter interrupted her

'Oh no, why am I already worried' he joked, causing Carla to let out a small tut

'It's a good plan! I was thinking, whilst Simon's away, why don't we redecorate his room? Ya'know, give it a fresh lick of paint.. buy some new bits for it. Just make it really nice for him when he comes home. All funded by me of course'

Peter smiled at her thoughtfulness. He loved the way she'd connected with Simon; it was so important for him to have a woman figure in his life, especially now he'd lost not only one mum, but two 'I love the idea.. a lot. But I can't let you pay for it'

'You can and you will. Since I've stayed here, you've not accepted any rent money or allowed me to contribute to any of the bills. It's the least I can do, I want to do it. If not for you, then for me. I can take all the credit for it and earn some extra brownie points with Si' she laughed, taking another bite out of her toast

'Well, I won't argue with that' he shook his head in amusement, if there was one thing he had learnt about Carla, it was to never argue with her

* * *

'You definitely went overboard' Peter managed to speak in between breaths as he struggled with the box in his arms, carrying it up the last few steps to the flat

'This is mild! Did you see all the things that place had, my bank account barely even noticed that money leaving in comparison to what it's used to during a shopping trip!' Carla smiled proudly, feeling pleased with her purchases. She looked over at an out of breath Peter as he slumped down in the dining table chair trying to regain his composure 'mmmm, you alright muscles?' She spoke into Peter's neck as she leant behind him, wrapping her arms round his neck and resting her head on his shoulder

'I think I'm a goner. You ware me out mrs.. I haven't got the stamina to keep up with ya' Peter managed to reply whilst trying to steady his breathing

'Oh I dunno Barlow.. I reckon you could more than keep up with me. Who knows.. if you help me crack on with this room, we might be able to put that to the test later' she whispered seductively into his ear. Of course, she was only teasing him like he had done to her many a times before but it suddenly put a boost of energy back into him

'Right. No time to waste then. Let's get moving' Peter leapt up from the chair, pulling his jacket off and proceeding to pick up the items to take into Simon's room

'I refuse to let you take credit for any of this if you don't actually bother to do any work. You best get a move on' Peter called out into the next room as he used the roller to coat the wall of Simon's bedroom in the paint him and Carla had brought today

'Ooooh. I like bossy Peter' Carla smirked, walking into the room and instantly catching Peter's attention. She looked so different to her usual glamorous self, but she looked stunning. He'd given her one of his white t-shirts to wear which she'd tucked into one side of a pair of light denim hot pants whilst the rest of the t-shirt loosely hung down, completely covering up one side of her shorts. She had an old pair of white converse on and had tied half of her hair back into a top knot whilst half remained down, falling over her shoulders

'Only you could make doing DIY, look that good' he chuckled slightly, still in awe at the beauty of the woman stood in front of him. He liked this side of her. The casual, effortless side

'Well what can I say.. Melinda Messenger's got nothing on me' she joked, picking up the other roller and proceeding to help Peter

It was around an hour later and both Peter and Carla stood in the middle of the room, admiring the freshly painted blue walls

'Mmm, not a bad job' Peter smiled, looking round the room

'Damn, we missed a spot though'

'What? Where?' Peter questioned, studying the walls in closer depth

'There' Carla chuckled as she brought her paint brush up and wiped it across Peter's face, leaving a blue streak in it's place

'Ohhh I see how it is' Peter laughed, picking up his paintbrush from the tray 'we missed another spot right here look' he laughed, pulling Carla towards him as she tried to wriggle away, keeping her face hidden from him as she giggled wildly

'No.. Peter, I'm sorry' she squealed between laughter as he attempted to get her back, covering her t-shirt and arms in paint as he did so. Eventually though, they both just became completely covered in the blue paint as they wrestled one another, using their paintbrushes to cover the other as much as possible 'Okay.. okay, weapons down' Carla spoke in between laughter as she dropped her paint brush down onto the sheet beneath them

'I think we've got more paint on us than the walls' Peter chuckled, releasing Carla from his grip as the pair of them regained their breath. Laughing at one another as they finally got to see how much paint they'd smeared over each other

* * *

'You made sense of them yet?' Carla questioned, walking back into Simon's bedroom with two cups of tea. Kneeling down beside Peter as he read the instructions for the flat packed chest of drawers they'd purchased

'Ah how hard can it be? You put one in that hole, another bit in a different hole. Bosh, job done' Peter spoke smugly, discarding the instructions to the side of him

'Did they teach you that in DT or sex education at school?' Carla smirked, taking a sip of her cup of tea as Peter laughed, shaking his head at her inappropriateness

'Both' he laughed, opening up the bag of screws the furniture required to be built

Carla watched on as Peter was half way through building the chest of drawers. She'd tried to help where possible but in the end, had just resorted to handing him the required screws when he needed them 'you're good at this, ain't ya' she observed

'What, screwing? I have been told that many a times before actually' He teased, it now being him who had turned the chat inappropriate

'Well, I'm yet to be the judge of that one aren't I' Carla playfully commented back. They both sat in silence smiling before she couldn't help but make another comment 'I like a man who knows how to use his tools well though'

'Well that's good then 'cause I learnt how to do that in both my DT and sex education lessons as well' he glanced up at Carla and they caught each others eye, the sexual chemistry between them more evident than ever as they both sat there smirking

'I'll have to give you a test at some point then. See how much you really payed attention in those lessons' she bit down on her tongue, amused at the grin on Peter's face

* * *

'I'm super proud of us you know' Carla beamed, placing the last few cushions down onto Simon's bed as she walked over to the doorway to join Peter in admiring their work

'It looks great. He's going to be thrilled with it' Peter spoke truthfully, putting his arm around Carla's waist as he pulled her body against his side 'you done an amazing job, thank you' Peter's voice softened as he placed a kiss on the top of Carla's head

'I wouldn't have been able to do it without your muscles and fantastic screwing techniques' she smiled, looking up into Peter's eyes before placing a fleeting kiss on his cheek 'make a good team, me and you' she grinned 'now come on papa smurf, let's order pizza' she patted his chest with her hand before walking off into the living room

* * *

'Well that, was very well earned' Carla grinned, shutting the lid down on the empty pizza box as she sat back into the sofa, stretching her bare, freshly shaven legs out across Peter's lap as he gently ran his finger up and down her calf. They'd both cleaned themselves up from their paint fight earlier and Carla was now sat in her silk robe after having a shower

'It certainly was. Honestly though Carla, thank you so much for doing all that for Simon. He absolutely adores you' Peter spoke gently, truly feeling so grateful for Carla's kind nature

'It's my pleasure. I adore him too, which I never thought I'd say about another kid other than Chelle's little Ryan. But I really do. His father ain't half bad either' Carla teased, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger as she spoke

'Well.. thank you. I'm honoured that you think so' Peter smiled proudly before fixing eye contact with Carla 'Honestly though, you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me and Si. I was so angry at Leanne for what she did to us and before, If I was in the same room as her, I'd just have lost it. Had a go at her for all she put us through' Peter opened up as Carla nodded, completely understanding why 'Not anymore though. In fact now..I'd go up, shake her hand and thank her' The look on Carla's face suddenly turned more into confusion, lost at what Peter was getting at 'I'd thank her 'cause had she not have done what she did, I'd never have got so close to you. I've loved getting to know you. I don't know what that ice queen reputation you've got is all about 'cause honestly, all I see is this insanely beautiful woman with the most beautiful soul to match. I love having you around. It's like.. I don't know.. a complete breath of fresh air' Peter couldn't help but let his feelings be known. He wanted Carla to know how much she was appreciated. No where near enough people told her how special she was

'Are you feeling alright Barlow? I think them paint fumes have got to ya' she laughed, but shyly bowed her head as she did so. She wasn't used to having such nice things said about her so wasn't quite sure how to accept the kind words Peter had just spoken. 'You never deserved all that shit she put you through though, Peter. You feel free to shake her hand but I'll still just smack her one if that's alright' she looked back up as Peter laughed, tapping Carla's thighs and grabbing the arm she had draped over the back of the sofa, to indicate that he wanted her to move closer to him; which she did so, the majority of her body now draped over his lap

'I don't know what I did to deserve you' he spoke gently, cupping Carla's face with his hand as he leant his forehead against hers, their noses brushing one another's. Their lips were centimetres apart and they could each feel the others hot breath against their face. Peter's thumb was gently stroking Carla's cheekbone as she looked up, her eyes meeting his

'I'm the lucky one' she spoke softly as she pressed her lips against the very corner of his mouth ever so slightly. Enough so that it could be classed as a kiss, but also making sure it wasn't on his lips. The moment they were having felt so intense that she didn't dare try to intensify it even more; the last thing she wanted to do was end this moment by getting carried away in a kiss and sleeping with one another. She wanted to appreciate this moment for what it was. An intense moment of admiration between two people who cared for each other immensely


End file.
